By Mike Whitney
February 07, 2020
"Information
Clearing House" -
The unexpected alliance between Turkey and Libya is
a geopolitical earthquake that changes the balance
of power in the eastern Mediterranean and across the
Middle East. Turkey’s audacious move has enraged its
rivals in the region and cleared the way for a
dramatic escalation in the 9 year-long Libyan civil
war. It has also forced leaders in Europe and
Washington to decide how they will counter Turkey’s
plan to defend the U.N-recognized Government of
National Accord (GNA), and to extend its maritime
borders from Europe to Africa basically creating “a
water corridor through the eastern Mediterranean
linking the coasts of Turkey and Libya.” Leaders in
Ankara believe that the agreement “is a major coup
in energy geopolitics” that helps defend Turkey’s
“sovereign rights against the gatekeepers of the
regional status quo.” But Turkey’s rivals strongly
disagree. They see the deal as a naked power grab
that undermines their ability to transport natural
gas from the East Mediterranean to Europe without
crossing Turkish waters. In any event, the
Turkey-Libya agreement has set the stage for a
broader conflict that will unavoidably involve
Egypt, Israel, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Europe, Russia and
the United States. All parties appear to have
abandoned diplomatic channels altogether and are,
instead, preparing for war.
On November 27, Turkey and
Libya signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
that commits Turkey to providing military assistance
to Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA).
The MoU also redraws Turkey’s maritime boundaries in
a way that dramatically impacts the transport of gas
from the East Mediterranean to Europe.
