By Stephen Lendman

Turkey is a pariah nation, a tyrannical crime syndicate masquerading as a nation-state, run by international outlaws.

Democracy is pure fantasy. None whatever exists. President Erdogan governs like a mafia godfather, intolerant of opposition and criticism.

Nothing of consequence goes on without his direct knowledge and approval. Various illicit activities let him, his family, and other top regime officials profit hugely.

His minions are involved with CIA agents and US special forces in training ISIS recruits on Turkish territory.

Their fighters move freely back and forth cross-border to Syria and Iraq. They’re regularly provided with arms, munitions and other supplies.

Turkish officials maintain the fiction of delivering humanitarian aid to so-called moderate rebels. No one can find them. They don’t exist.

Officials at the highest level of Erdogan’s regime are involved in smuggling, refining and black market sales of stolen Syrian and Iraqi oil - an industrial scale operation generating millions of dollars in daily revenues.

Russia publicly presented documented video and other detailed evidence of ISIS’ oil truck pipeline transport operation extending for miles - smuggling crude freely cross-border daily into Turkey for refining and black market sales.

The whole world knows what’s going on despite Western officials and media downplaying or ignoring a scheme demanding intervention to stop.

ISIS’ strength lies in its foreign support, notably from Washington, and ability to raise enormous amounts of money through various illicit activities to keep their killing machine well financed.

Russia is the only nation along with Syrian ground forces, Hezbollah fighters, and Iranian advisors actively targeting its operations, bombing its oil facilities and truck transport pipeline.

US-led coalition countries maintain the pretense of doing the same thing while actively supporting the scourge they claim to oppose.

It bears repeating. Without foreign support, especially from Washington and other major powers, ISIS and other terrorist groups couldn’t exist. At most they’d be minor nuisances, easily contained.

Instead, their paymasters permit them to thrive. Russia’s intervention significantly changed things on the ground, but it’s slow-going. ISIS and other terrorist groups control vast amounts of Syrian and Iraqi territory.

Retaking it requires protracted struggle - city by city, town by town, village by village, and securing recaptured areas.

Bashar al-Assad is right. Cut off all foreign support and Syria can be liberated in a year or less. Maintaining it assures endless conflict - precisely what Washington wants despite rhetorical claims otherwise.

Hegemons change strategies and tactics, not ultimate objectives. Washington wants Assad and all other independent leaders ousted - replaced by Western-controlled stooges, the reason for US imperial wars.

The aim is unchallenged global dominance. It remains rock-hard firm throughout the entire post-WW II era - more-so today than ever because of bipartisan neocon lunatics infesting Washington.

A Norwegian daily Klassekampen report supplied the latest evidence of Turkey’s oil smuggling operations complicit with ISIS - prepared at the request of Norway’s Foreign Ministry with Rystad Energy, an independent oil and gas consulting firm.

“Large amounts of oil have been smuggled across the border to Turkey from IS-controlled areas in Syria and Iraq,” Klassekampen reported. It’s “sent by tankers via smuggling routes across the border (and then) sold at greatly reduced prices…”

Vladmir Putin maintains ISIS gets direct aid from around 40 countries, including G20 ones, notably America, Britain and France, along with Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Israel and others.

“Exports happen in a well-established black market via Turkey,” Klassekampen’s report explained. “Many of the smugglers and corrupt border guards, who helped Saddam Hussein avoid international sanctions, are now helping (ISIS) export oil and import cash.”

Corruption in Turkey goes right to the top. Russia accused Ankara of direct involvement at the highest levels of its regime. Their criminality continues because US-led Western countries turn a blind eye.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III".

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

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