Erdogan threatens US with ‘Ottoman slap’
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The United States and Turkey appear to be headed towards a showdown over Syria when America’s top diplomat visits Ankara later this week after US military personnel visited Manbij last week and the Department of Defense requested funding for Syrian operations in 2019, drawing Turkey’s ire....Xinhua also has the story.
... Last week, Lt. Gen. Paul E. Funk, commander of the US-led Coalition, visited Manbij where he commented on Turkey’s threats against the town. “You hit us, we will respond aggressively. We will defend ourselves,” he said.
Erdogan hit back at Funk. “It is clear that those who say ‘we will respond aggressively if you hit us’ have never experienced an Ottoman slap,” he said....MORE
And the only acceptable response?
Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks
That's "Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks" by Repin, hanging in the State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg.
As the story goes, in 1676 the Turkish Sultan, despite being beaten by the Cossacks when he tried to invade what is now southern Ukraine, demanded these guys surrender and submit to Turkish rule.
As can be seen, the Cossacks thought this was the funniest thing they had ever heard and wrote a letter in response.
A very profane, very defiant, very vulgar, very contemptuous letter.
These old boys just cracked themselves up with their letter.
And that's the only way to treat the wannabe sultan, laugh in his face.
And apologies for the "Sadly now..." headline, I seem to be channeling one of those old-timey British nature shows:
....when the lion chose the old wildebeest:
"Sadly now, there can be but one outcome"
