Trump needs to limit Erdogan's egocentric ambitions before it is too late
Turkey has long earned the status of a state whose foreign policy cannot be predicted and, frankly speaking, is not trustworthy. Thus, a few years ago, Turkey, being a member of NATO and a part the US F-35 Joint Strike Fighter programme,acquired Russian S-400 air defense systems. Now, the republic is seeking to obtain BRICS member status, despite the fact that it is a candidate for joining the EU.
Given the level of Turkey's involvement in the internal affairs of a number of Western alliances, as well as its habit of blackmailing partners to achieve its own goals, such "flirting" with opposing geopolitical camps could soon become a real headache for Brussels and Washington.
Thus, Donald Trump has made the reduction of financial and political participation in NATO one of the key goals of his presidential term, but to do so, it is necessary to achieve stability both in the alliance itself and in its key areas of influence. However, one of Turkey's instruments for achieving its geopolitical goals is precisely the initiation and fuelling of conflicts that could drag the alliance or its members in new confrontations. Turkey was behind the recent conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, helping Azerbaijan with arms and finances. Ankara is the initiator and key player in its long-running disputes with Greece and Cyprus.
Even now, Turkey's actions are an obstacle to the resolution of a number of important international issues. Ankara is openly opposing Israel and supporting Palestine, adding fuel to the fire of the Middle East conflict. In Syria, Turkey is fighting the US-backed Syrian Kurdish YPG, threatening to provoke serious diplomatic disputes and ignite local unrest.
At the same time, Turkey's actions often become a problem not only for the US. For example, Ankara supports the leaders of the Abkhazian opposition—MP Kan Kvarchia, businessman Levan Mikaa and Adgur Ardzinba—with the goal of freeing the republic from Russian control. And at the same time, it allows Abkhazia to open a polling station on its territory for the upcoming "presidential elections". In other words, Turkey, being a NATO member state, not only de facto recognizes the legitimacy of the elections and the independence of the Republic of Abkhazia, but also contradicts its own statements about supporting the territorial integrity of Georgia.
It is important to understand that all of Turkey's actions are part of its ideology of pan-Turkism, according to which Ankara seeks to extend its influence to territories with a similar ethnic, cultural and linguistic environment, without taking into account the interests of third parties. However, the rest of the world, and the United States in particular, needs peace now. It is time to calm down and to restore order together, for which Trump needs to limit Erdogan's egocentric ambitions before it is too late. Otherwise, it will be extremely difficult to achieve the much-needed stability that will allow the United States to focus on internal issues.
Nicholas Stai is an aspiring journalist with a degree in international relations and politics. He has a keen interest in studying issues of global security and conflict resolution.
Read next: Trump needs to end negotiating with Iran
Email Us | Reader Friendly | Comments
Items of notes and interest from the web.
