The Spanish interlude approaches its end

There appears to be a life that is increasingly interfering with the blog and it was a big effort tonight to pull myself away from the people who I have spent the last ten weeks doing this course with. Nevertheless, in for a penny, in for a pound and here is me persisting with my at least one entry a day.
The interesting news is of Russian-Turkish rapproachment and with the Turkish President, Abdullah Gul having paid a four-day visit ot the Russian Federation from February 12 to 15.(1) That and the Americans being "forced" to abandon their base in Manas, Kyrgistan, are alone enough to suggest that the "Great Game" is really on. On the one hand we have the Government of Prime Minister Recep Erdogan showing increasing impatience with Washington's policies in the Middle East and on the other we see the Russians adopting a more agressive foreign policy against encirclement by NATO. The "Great Game" is on and the evidence would seem to suggest that "Uncle Sam" is not going to have it all his own way.
http://www.engdahl.oilgeopolitics.net/Geopolitics___Eurasia/Turkey___Russia/turkey___russia.html