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Zbigniew Brzezinski habitually lamented the failureof American Policymakers to study maps of the world, to appreciate the historic impact of wars, economics, history, religion, language, culture, and climate. For Brzezinski, strategytheart and science of employing Washingtons political, economic, psychological, and military powerwas not real without a map.

Turkish PresidentRecep Tayyip Erdoganagrees.When Erdogan views the map of the Middle East,Erdogan sees Syriaand most of Iraq as historic Turkish territory taken from the Turks when the Ottoman Empire collapsed at the end of WWI. It is no accident that Turkswear T-shirtswith Erdogans picture and the slogan The Sultan of the World.

However, Erdogans recent determination to rescue the criminal remnants of the Islamic State or Daesh (ISIS), from destruction at the hands of Russian and Syrian Forces in Idlib, Syria brought him into direct confrontation with another man who appreciates the importance of maps: Vladimir Putin. The Russian border lies barely 500 miles from Syria and Russian Forces remain engaged in suppressingSunni Islamist insurgents in the Caucasus.

Acutely sensitive to the potential threat that President Erdogans mix of Ottoman Nationalism and Sunni Islamism presents, Vladimir Putin has also committed Russia todefend Christiansacross the Middle East and he maintains good relations with Israel. Thanks to President Putin, Sunni and Iranian-backed Shiite Islamist forces have been unable to establish bases in Syria from which they can attack Israel.

For the moment,Erdogans hastily agreed ceasefire with Putingives Ankara continued military control of Syrias Northernmost border, but the ceasefire does not equate to conflict termination. Erdogans regional aspirations mean unrelenting conflict with Russia.

Anearly benefactor of ISIS, President Erdogan has already re-purposed many of the Sunni Islamist terrorists Turkish forces rescued from Idlib for Turkish-led operations in Libya.Erdogan remains committedto his goal ofreplacingGeneral Sisis government with an Islamist State controlled by the Muslim Brotherhood.

To Erdogans chagrin, theRussians are fighting in Libyaalongside General Haftars army. Together with Haftar, the Russians are all that currently prevents Erdogan from creating a Sunni Islamist State that borders Israel on the West.

Meanwhile, on Planet Washington, President Trumps Secretary of State plotted with his trusted agent andincurable Never Trumper,Ambassador Jeffrey, the U.S.Special Representative for Syria Engagement,to cultivate war between Russia and Turkey. Guided by an ostensibly incurable hatred of Russia, Trumps Department of Statepromised Erdogan ammunition and intelligence in the hope that Erdogan would commit the Turkish Armed Forces todrive Russia out of Syria.But why would a U.S. Secretary of State deliberately run the risk of turning a localized conflict into a regional war, a war that would certainly engulf most of the States in the Eastern Mediterranean? To date, President Trump has scrupulously avoided unnecessary conflict in the Middle East, Northeast Asia and the Caribbean Basin.

Like Erdogan, Pompeo knows Russias position in Syria is weak. Russia has no substantial ground force in Syria and Erdogan can easily block any Russian attempt to reinforce its small contingent in Syria through the Dardanelles. Putins military adventure in Syria is alsounpopular with the Russianpeople and a needless drain on Russias dwindling treasury.

Erdogans economic position is hardly robust, but Turkey enjoys enormous foreign direct investment (perhaps as much as $50 billion over the last five years) fromthe Peninsular Arab Statesthat enables Erdogan to champion the Sunni Islamist cause. If Pompeo can exploit the bipartisan Russian paranoia that threatened the Trump Presidency, perhaps Pompeo can exploit the bipartisan hostility to Russia, back Turkey in its war and, eventually, launch his own run for the White House?

Perhaps these are the reasons why the Secretary of State pushed Erdogan to call Putins bluff. Time will reveal the truth, but today,it would be the gargantuan joke of the 21stCentury if President Trump were to allow Secretary of State Pompeo to align American military power with Erdogans Sunni-led Islamist cause; the same cause that attacked New York City and killed thousands of Americans.

Erdogan is obsessed with power and drivento overturn the regional order in favor of SunniIslamism, an ideology totalitarian in action, and cloaked in religion. President Trump should instruct his Secretary of State to tell President Erdogan that if he confronts Russia and Syria on the battlefield, Erdogan does so without any American or Western assistance. As Israeli officers with many years experience in the region advise, When your enemies are killing each other, dont interrupt.

Col (ret) Douglas Macgregor, US Army, is a decorated combat veteran, a PhD and the author of five books. His latest isMargin of Victory(Naval Institute Press, 2016). This article first appeared last month.

Image: Reuters.

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Trump Must Stop Russia And Turkey From Fighting Over Syria - The National Interest