Friday, December 18, 2015

Putin didn't just praise Trump

One part of Russian President Vladimir Putin's extended diatribe against Turkey --

However, today, the Turkish authorities are taking quite a lot of heat – not directly, though – for islamising their country. I am not saying if it is bad or good, but I admit that the current Turkish leaders have decided to let the Americans and Europeans know – yes, we are islamising our country, but we are modern and civilised Islamists. Remember, what President Reagan said about Somoza in his time: “Somoza may be a son of a bitch, but he is our son of a bitch.” Just keep it in mind, we are Islamists, but we are on your side, we are your Islamists.

Although he somewhat misattributes the slippery "Our SOB" quote (it was more likely from a previous generation of US Presidents and Somoza), his scepticism that there's any benign form of Islamism and the associated risk of being taken in by what could be called radical Islam is entirely aligned with mainstream US conservative perspectives on Islamic political movements.

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