Op-ed calling for Turkey to transfer its S-400s to Ukraine completely misses the mark
An op-ed in The Wall Street Journal on Thursday made the case that the US should help Turkey transfer its Russian S400s to Ukraine as a way to help Ukraine and resolve tensions with the US. It also suggested that in return for sending its S-400s to Ukraine, the US should offer Turkey a replacement for the S400s and get Ankara back in the F-35 program. The op-ed has drawn sharp criticism from leading Turkey observers, who point out that this proposal completely misses the mark when it comes to the reality of Turkey’s arms deal with Russia and Turkish President Erdogan’s relations with Putin and the West. Dr. Lisel Hintz joins our host Thanos Davelis to break down why this op-ed shows a clear lack of understanding of Turkey-Russia relations, US-Turkey relations, and Erdogan’s diplomatic balancing act amid the war in Ukraine.
Dr. Lisel Hintz is an Assistant Professor of International Relations at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies. She studies the intersections of identity politics, repression and resistance, foreign policy, and pop culture in Turkey and its neighborhood, and is the author of the book Identity Politics Inside Out: National Identity Contestation and Foreign Policy in Turkey.
Read more from Dr. Lisel Hintz here:
No One Lost Turkey: Erdogan’s Foreign Policy Quest for Agency with Russia and Beyond
Rethinking Turkey’s ‘Rapprochements’: Trouble with Germany and Beyond
You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:
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