washington (cnn) the cool, calm, clear thinking that kept the nato alliance intact as it weathered the cold war with the soviet union has been shattered.









decades of careful diplomacy and nail-biting inaction during the potentially world-annihilating nuclear arms race of the 1950s, 60s and 70s appears to have been sacrificed in a few brief seconds by turkey.









during the cuban missile crisis of 1962, the soviet invasion of afghanistan in 1979, the deployment of nuclear weapons in western europe in the 1980s and many other causes of strife, nato did not take on the soviet union or russia directly and moscow did not attack any nato country.









heavy smoke has been seen in the area where the plane fell.









heavy smoke has been seen in the area where the plane fell.









the turkish government is strongly opposed to the syrian regime of bashar al-assad. russia, however, has backed assad, and has had warplanes active over syria.









the turkish government is strongly opposed to the syrian regime of bashar al-assad. russia, however, has backed assad, and has had warplanes active over syria.









the anadolu agency reported that a parachute was also seen leaving the jet before it crashed. the fate of the airman remains unclear.









the anadolu agency reported that a parachute was also seen leaving the jet before it crashed. the fate of the airman remains unclear.









turkey's semi-official anadolu agency cites turkish presidential sources in reporting that a russian su-24 was "hit within the framework of engagement rules."









turkey's semi-official anadolu agency cites turkish presidential sources in reporting that a russian su-24 was "hit within the framework of engagement rules."









the turkish military says it shot down the unidentified warplane, contending it repeatedly violated turkish airspace.









the turkish military says it shot down the unidentified warplane, contending it repeatedly violated turkish airspace.









a russian warplane goes down in syria's bayirbucak region, near the turkish border, on november 24, 2015.









a russian warplane goes down in syria's bayirbucak region, near the turkish border, on november 24, 2015.









that all changed when turkish air force jets shot down a russian bomber tuesday -- the first time a nato country has taken such action since 1952.









back then nato -- a military alliance formed after world war ii by countries in north america and western europe that now has 28 member states committed to defending each other -- stood firmly as one.









"as we have repeatedly made clear, we stand in solidarity with turkey and support the territorial integrity of our nato ally, turkey," he said.









but, already, german and czech officials are expressing surprise at turkey's action -- taken after the russian plane was inside turkish airspace for 30 seconds or less, according to u.s. calculations.









perhaps that seemed more possible this week, with both france and russia mourning losses from isis terror and when they were collectively trading their national tragedies for compromises to find a solution in syria.









and erdogan has squandered it.









the downing of the russian jet smacks of what erdogan's enemies accuse him of -- of aspirations to resurrect the ottoman empire -- and leaves him open to claims he is too soft on radical islamists. putin has gone further -- saying that erdogan, the head of state of a nato member, is siding with the terrorists.









and that's why -- at first analysis -- this looks like a disaster, beyond the loss of life of one pilot and a would-be rescuer.









it may also be a gain for putin.









for all those years he has was trying to undermine nato unity, erdogan's hasty move has handed it to him on a plate.









we may learn what led up to the strike, but the deed is done.









erdogan's nato partners can now only look at him as a loose cannon, an unstable element in a very combustible situation. not a steady partner capable of calm nerve that saw the alliance last the cold war. erdogan has thrown the whole card table in the air.









in turkey, as internationally, erdogan has a history of pushing his own agenda, whether it's against the tide or not.









there's almost no freedom of the press there -- just ask the journalists locked up while covering the recent elections, in which erdogan's party did surprisingly well after a summer poll flop.









conflict with kurdish people inside and outside turkey continues. turkey took no action against isis for a year and a half as the group advanced across the border in northern syria.









even as the united states sees kurdish fighting groups as a hope to beat isis, turkey continues to attack them. to many in turkey, the prospect of an independent state for the kurds is seen as a greater threat than the religious extremism of isis. to much domestic acclaim, erdogan has moved turkey away from its secular past and resurrected islamism in turkish politics.









indeed, erdogan appears to pin hopes on the more moderate muslim brotherhood of syria to thwart real radicals, but he could be getting played.









and then there's taking on russia, which is also nominally targeting the common enemy of isis.









putin may have dirty hands -- but so does erdogan.
nato and putin: downed russian bomber is big threat
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