The Turkish story on the Russian jet shoot down does not hold up.  In fact, the evidence points to a deliberate provocation by Turkey with the intention of drawing NATO into a general war against Syria and Russia. That’s why the Turks immediately asked for an emergency NATO meeting even though there is no NATO operation either in Iraq or Syria, and no NATO member was attacked.  NATO is a collective defense system. If a NATO member is attacked, then the other members of NATO can exercise collective defense (although there is nothing in the NATO system requiring the members to come to the defense of one under attack).

In fact, the Turks have been working hard for some time to “Nato-ize” the conflict in Syria.  That is why they have insisted that the privileges they have given to the United States at the Incirlik air base, where the US has stationed F-16’s and A-10’s,  is permitted as a NATO operation (notwithstanding the fact there is no NATO operation).

The Turk’s story is that Turkish F-16 jets “intercepted” the Russian aircraft and shot it down with an air to air missile.

Read the article “By Downing Russian Plane, is Turkey Trying to Draw NATO into Syrian Conflict?” on acdemocracy.org.