The war in Ukraine, Turkish leverage, and the F-16s
The war in Ukraine seems to have given Turkey’s President Erdogan a renewed lease on life in Western capitals, while at the same time giving Turkey leverage to press its Western allies into ignoring its non-stop abuses - primarily directed against NATO ally Greece - simply to get Turkey to help Ukraine against Russia. This dynamic is playing out most clearly in DC with Turkey’s request to purchase advanced F-16s. Congress has put this issue front and center by introducing legislation that would condition Turkey’s ability to buy the jets. Cliff Smith, the director of the Middle East Forum’s Washington Project, joins Thanos Davelis to explain why the US should reject Turkish demands that it be allowed to use US technology to antagonize a fellow NATO member.
Read Cliff Smith’s latest piece here: Turkey’s Antagonism Of Greece Is Putting NATO To The Test
You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here:
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