Turkey just can’t seem to help itself when it comes to escalations in the Mid-East.
First, Erdogan intentionally reignited the conflict between Ankara and the PKK in an effort scare the public into nullifying a democratic election outcome. Then, the Turks shot down a Russian warplane near the Syrian border. Finally, in what very well might be an effort to protect Islamic State oil smuggling routes, Erdogan sent 150 troops and two dozen tanks to Bashiqa, just northeast of Mosul in a move that has infuriated Baghdad.