[Goose]

Erdogan is not telling the truth about why he doesn't want Sweden in NATO. There is no way someone burning a book is the real reason.

It may be that Erdoğan indeed doesn't care about the Koran burning and is just pandering to his base. However, it is absolutely possible he shares those prejudices and beliefs. While the religious aspect of it could easily be phony, the fact Sweden won't restrain what he considers anti-Türkiye behavior is definitely NOT phony. He believes Sweden could stop it if they really wanted to do so, and they are not. This straightforward explanation IMO is much, much more probable than some other unknown agenda.

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Word is Biden and his administration is finally going to allow ATACMS go to Ukraine, possibly to be announced at the upcoming NATO summit.  We will have to see the quantity and the speed in which they are delivered, as they could have an impact on the ongoing counter offensive.  Ukraine has proven to have pretty extensive knowledge of Russian logistics, ammo depots, and troop locations, but they've had limited ability to attack, with only a few storm shadow missiles to use.  I'd imagine being able to ground launch these missiles is also a big deal, as they won't have to risk their air force either.  I doubt this will turn the tide, but it could time well if Ukraine can find a weak spot and attempt to exploit it.

Let's hope this is true. It will genuinely make a difference, and it will make even more of a difference as Ukraine gets closer to the Kerch Strait. Even if Ukraine has agreed not to use ATACMS on the bridge, Russia, and more importantly civilian residents of Crimea, probably don't want to count on that. ATACMS are also much more useful than cruise missiles against "targets of opportunity". I have posted this before, but for those who reacted TL;DR, here is another chance:-).

https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA429075.pdf

[Goose]

Erdogan is not telling the truth about why he doesn't want Sweden in NATO. There is no way someone burning a book is the real reason.

It may be that Erdoğan indeed doesn't care about the Koran burning and is just pandering to his base. However, it is absolutely possible he shares those prejudices and beliefs. While the religious aspect of it could easily be phony, the fact Sweden won't restrain what he considers anti-Türkiye behavior is definitely NOT phony. He believes Sweden could stop it if they really wanted to do so, and they are not. This straightforward explanation IMO is much, much more probable than some other unknown agenda.

---

Word is Biden and his administration is finally going to allow ATACMS go to Ukraine, possibly to be announced at the upcoming NATO summit.  We will have to see the quantity and the speed in which they are delivered, as they could have an impact on the ongoing counter offensive.  Ukraine has proven to have pretty extensive knowledge of Russian logistics, ammo depots, and troop locations, but they've had limited ability to attack, with only a few storm shadow missiles to use.  I'd imagine being able to ground launch these missiles is also a big deal, as they won't have to risk their air force either.  I doubt this will turn the tide, but it could time well if Ukraine can find a weak spot and attempt to exploit it.

Let's hope this is true. It will genuinely make a difference, and it will make even more of a difference as Ukraine gets closer to the Kerch Strait. Even if Ukraine has agreed not to use ATACMS on the bridge, Russia, and more importantly civilian residents of Crimea, probably don't want to count on that. ATACMS are also much more useful than cruise missiles against "targets of opportunity". I have posted this before, but for those who reacted TL;DR, here is another chance:-).

https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/ADA429075.pdf