<blockquote>'Mikhail Fedotov, head of the Kremlin Human Rights Council, on December 1 warned the country in comments carried by Interfax to dial down rhetoric against Turkey. "I entirely understand the perturbation experienced because of the attack on the Russian warplane, which is a crime and a tragedy, but this is not a reason to stoke this anti-Turkish atmosphere."
Turkish nationals in Russia who have been caught in the crossfire between Erdogan and Putin variously blame both men for the current situation.'
-
Fear, Uncertainty In Russia For Turkish Expat Families, December 3, 2015</blockquote>
'..Russia’s annexation of the Crimea and its interference in eastern Ukraine were alarming Ankara.'<blockquote>'..Russia’s annexation of the Crimea and its interference in eastern Ukraine were alarming Ankara. Now Russia and Turkey are at odds again: the former in an alliance with Iran to prop up the Assad regime, while Turkey is part of a front with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States determined to oust Mr Assad.'
A long history of tension underlies Turkey's downing of Russian jet, November 24, 2015</blockquote>
'..Instead of asking ourselves why the phenomenon of terror occurred, we were looking for locations..'<blockquote>'
SPIEGEL ONLINE: What would change if al-Baghdadi were killed?
Flynn: We used to say, "We'll just keep killing the leaders, and the next guy up is not going to be as good." That didn't work out that way because al-Baghdadi is better than Zarqawi, and Zarqawi was actually better than bin Laden.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: So killing Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi wouldn't change much?
Flynn: Not at all. He could be dead today, you haven't seen him lately. I would have much preferred to have captured bin Laden and Zarqawi because as soon as you kill them, you are actually doing them and their movement a favor by making them martyrs. Zarqawi was a vicious animal. I would have preferred to see him live in a cell for the rest of his life. Their logic is still hard to understand for us in the West.
..
Flynn: ..a military solution is not the end all, be all. The overall strategy must be to take away Islamic State's territory, then bring security and stability to facilitate the return of the refugees. This won't be possible quickly. First, we need to hunt down and eliminate the complete leadership of IS, break apart their networks, stop their financing operations and stay until a sense of normality has been established. It's certainly not a question of months -- it will take years. Just look back at the mission we created in the Balkans as a model. We started there in the early 1990s to create some stability and we are still there today .. The Arabs must be involved in that sort of military operation .. First we went to Afghanistan, where al-Qaida was based. Then we went into Iraq. Instead of asking ourselves why the phenomenon of terror occurred, we were looking for locations. This is a major lesson we must learn in order not to make the same mistakes again.'
- Der Spiegel,
Ex-US Intelligence Chief on Islamic State's Rise: 'We Were Too Dumb', November 29, 2015</blockquote>
'..In 2012, the Syrians shot down a Turkish jet which had entered its airspace, and Erdogan’s furious response at the time was that “a short-term border violation can never be a pretext for an attack.” '<blockquote>'In this respect, unusually enough, I find myself agreeing with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov when he called it a “provocation” and an “ambush.” Let’s be clear, Moscow was foolish to let its planes stray so close to the border, doubly foolish if its rules of engagement allowed pilots to dip into Turkish airspace when it was operationally useful (and I suspect the latter was true). But Turkey’s response went way beyond the usual practice. Don’t believe me? In 2012, the Syrians shot down a Turkish jet which had entered its airspace, and Erdogan’s furious response at the time was that “a short-term border violation can never be a pretext for an attack.” '
- Mark Galeotti, Russia,
Turkey, Deconfliction and Distrust, November 25, 2015</blockquote>
Context<blockquote>
'Moscow Must Avoid Shadow War With Ankara'</blockquote>