Eser Turan

Although announced a year ago, Turkish drilling survey plans in the Aegean with projections for a total of 26 surveys by 2023, hit an unsuspected Greek nerve, leading to naval skirmishes and raids of Turkish villages, baffling global onlookers.

Supposedly countering some anticipated offensive from Turkey, the preemptive striking Greeks do not notice that their aggression does not have any legal basis. While their diplomatic statements indicate victimization, their retaliatory alliance with Egypt and undue military blunders are too much to bear, not just for Turkey but for all in close proximity.

Germany steps in as a mediator while French jets fly over Turkish vessels, but facts do not change. Turkish maritime zones hold precious oil and gas resources and in fighting an economic warfare decorated with President Trump's threats, and US plans to overthrow Turkish government, Turkey will undoubtedly exercise her right to drill in the region.

With all the Western interaction, it may look as if it the issue is beyond Greece, and that they are merely acting on behalf of the EU or the US, but that would be missing the point on the Greek heist and their counterphobic angst.

Dating back to 1,400 BC, Greek military history is based on mythology, with an immense amount of focus on the 10-year siege of the Anatolian city of Troy, that ended not with some military bravado but with a Greek mind game that turned deceit into an infiltration success, coining today's malware term 'Trojan Horse'.

One would think that a country as prominent as Greece would have some more recent victory to uphold, but they don't. Or that they would know better than downplaying their centuries-long subservience to the Ottoman rule, which ended with a legendary defeat in Anatolia almost a hundred years ago, but no.

Possibly due to their legendary losses, their minds must be telling them that the 3400 year-old subterfuge tactic, portrayed in 'Fall of a City: Troy', has been and will be the only way to defeat unsuspecting Anatolians.

And possibly with that non-megalo idea in mind, the Greek aggression feels comfortable launching preemptive strikes, devoid of militaristic artistry. Their gaffes are out of place, but it feeds off of Greek mythology, superstitious beliefs, archaic stand-offs and psychological war games.

In the meantime, the Turks prepare their youth for the stars, as can be seen in the astronaut training offered at Space Camp Turkey in Izmir, for Turkish teenagers who love watching their influencers test their competitiveness at Exatlon on Netflix. Astrophysics and space science have such an important place in the Turkish psyche that even a devoted father like Burak Acerakis penning a cartoon book on his son's Down Syndrome chooses to write a sci-fi story, using space as the setting.

In short, the ongoing Aegean scuffle may soon end up looking like Flintstones launching preemptive attacks against unsuspecting Jetsons.

For those of you who have not been to Greece, Merve Yurtseven takes us through the cobble-stoned streets of Mykonos and Santorini. 

Let us all enjoy the last remains of summer in peace.

Eser Turan
Founding Editor