Turkey won't apologize for downing Russian warplane, Erdogan says ... Turkey will not apologize for downing a Russian fighter jet it says violated Turkish airspace near the Syrian border, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in an exclusive CNN interview Thursday in Ankara. "I think if there is a party that needs to apologize, it is not us," he said from the Turkish capital. "Those who violated our airspace are the ones who need to apologize. Our pilots and our armed forces, they simply fulfilled their duties, which consisted of responding to ... violations of the rules of engagement. I think this is the essence." – CNN

Dominant Social Theme: Russia is evil and Putin is Hitler.

Free-Market Analysis: This CNN article is basically a recap of the accepted Middle East narrative as it now stands. What's going on in the Middle East increasingly resembles – on the surface – an evolution of the "great game" that created World War One.

Let's recap the recap so we can understand what we're supposed to believe. This is useful from an investment standpoint because if we can see clearly beneath the surface of a confusing political and military situation, then we can make better decisions about asset allocation and even how to go about implementing additional "lifestyle insurance."

Toward the end of this article, we'll look at the commentary of one of the outstanding modern conservative commentators, Patrick Buchanan. Buchanan sees below the surface of the "accepted wisdom" and is deeply concerned that Washington is headed toward a major confrontation with Russia. We've mentioned this possibility ourselves.

Back to CNN. From this report, we learn what is being reported elsewhere, that Turkish leader Erdogan is unrepentant and may have given the order himself to shoot down the Russian jet. Russia meanwhile has called the shooting a "planned provocation."

Surprisingly, Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed he didn't expect Turkey to act in a hostile manner. Putin is not usually surprised but according to CNN, he "told reporters in Moscow on Thursday that the strike was unexpected."

He reportedly said, "It did not even come into our mind that we could be struck by a party that we considered to be our ally. We considered Turkey to be a friendly country."

Perhaps not now. Putin is said to be considering a variety of economic and military actions that will hurt Turkish military preparedness and also its economy. Russia is a huge trading partner with Turkey and this may be why Erdogan, despite being unrepentant about the shootdown, seems to be engaged in a bit of a "climbdown."

Too late! According to CNN, "Some Russian tour operators have already said they will be curtailing travel to Turkey – a top destination for Russian vacationers."

CNN adds, "The unusual clash between Russia and a NATO member highlights the dangerous and unpredictable nature of the Syrian war, which has drawn global powers, including the United States, into a chaotic and complex conflict. NATO survived Cold War, but downed jet provides biggest threat."

Longtime author, commentator and political operative Patrick Buchanan shares the above sentiments. In an article entitled, "Stumbling to War With Russia?" he makes his concerns clear.

Turkey's decision to shoot down a Russian warplane was a provocative and portentous act. That Sukhoi Su-24, which the Turks say intruded into their air space, crashed and burned – in Syria. One of the Russian pilots was executed while parachuting to safety. A Russian rescue helicopter was destroyed by rebels using a U.S. TOW missile. A Russian marine was killed.