Not too surprising that this happened. Russian planes have not been terribly respectful of borders. Really the ball is in Putin's court, whether he wants to make this into something, or if he is just going to let it quietly slide.
Is this the first time a NATO member has shot down a Russian war plane?
ADDING: It looks like Turkey called an "extraordinary council" meeting (I love all the pomp and circumstance of the NATO treaty) but has not invoked Article 4, which I thought was the basis for these extraordinary meetings. Isn't Article 4 what makes them so extraordinary?
In any case, Article 4 is mostly important because it is not Article 5, which is when the shit is really going down.
ADDING2: The Guardian Liveblog for this incident has the answer to my question about whether this is the first time a NATO member has shot down a Russian war plane. Apparently, this is the first time since the end of the cold war, but not the first time ever. In 1952 four Russian MIGs were shot down by U.S. planes during the Korean War. But that was the last time it happened.
Is this the first time a NATO member has shot down a Russian war plane?
ADDING: It looks like Turkey called an "extraordinary council" meeting (I love all the pomp and circumstance of the NATO treaty) but has not invoked Article 4, which I thought was the basis for these extraordinary meetings. Isn't Article 4 what makes them so extraordinary?
In any case, Article 4 is mostly important because it is not Article 5, which is when the shit is really going down.
ADDING2: The Guardian Liveblog for this incident has the answer to my question about whether this is the first time a NATO member has shot down a Russian war plane. Apparently, this is the first time since the end of the cold war, but not the first time ever. In 1952 four Russian MIGs were shot down by U.S. planes during the Korean War. But that was the last time it happened.
