Taking a long historical view, the videotaped assassination of Russian ambassador to Turkey Andrei Karlov is disturbing for more reasons than its public and shocking nature. Few modern nations have fought as frequently or as viciously as the Russians and the Turks, and you do not have to be a historian to understand the role assassinations have played in provoking conflict. While right now it seems unlikely that Karlov’s murder will result in an open clash between Russia and Turkey, it is hardly something to discount, and reemphasizes the fraught situation that will face president-elect Trump when he takes the reigns from his largely feckless predecessor. At least the historical animosity and tension between Russia and Turkey is not Obama’s fault. Between the 16th and 20th Centuries the Turks and Russians have fought a dozen times, most recently during World War I. Russia views Istanbul, the Bosporus, the Dardanelles, and even Anatolia itself within...(Read Full Article)