Turkey and US Relations Sour After Kurdish Militia Attacked | Time.com

April 29, 2017 By dralfoldman in Defense Policy, Foreign Policy, People, Politics, Syria, Turkey, US Tags: Bashar al-Assad, Donald Trump, European Union, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, President of the United States, President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkey, White House Leave a comment



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Embed from Getty Images

This article from Time is on the button. It argues that the U.S. considers the Kurds as allies. On the other hand, it point out that Turkey says the Kurds are linked to terrorists. The conclusion is that a confrontation is brewing.

Source: Turkey and US Relations Sour After Kurdish Militia Attacked | Time.com

Both Trump and Erdogan are volatile and unpredictable. Trump ignored Turkey’s human right record and was very fast off the mark to congratulate Erdogan on gaining increased power in Turkey’s recent referendum. This was after Erdogan’s extreme praise for Trump’s after America’s military escalation in Syria.

Unless Trump changes direction, the Kurds remain critical to US plans to overthrow ISIS, so Trump will need to do some serious negotiating with Erdogan. Based on Trump’s successful meeting with the Chinese leader, his team will look for a winning compromise with Erdogan.

Thoughts?

Turkey: Getting worse before it gets better | Brookings Institution

November 3, 2016 By dralfoldman in Defense Policy, Foreign Policy, People, Politics Tags: Ankara, Ottoman Empire, President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkey, United States Leave a comment

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Barack Obama in the Oval Office, Dec. 7, 2009. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Washington think-tank, Brookings Institution, reports that the raid on Turkish newspaper Cumhuriyet is just the latest in the Turkish leadership’s clampdown on democratic civil society institutions in the aftermath of the coup attempt in July.

Source: Turkey: Getting worse before it gets better | Brookings Institution

The conclusion is alarming, citing the rise of authoritarianism and populism, with democracy increasingly on the ropes.

Increasingly Americans worry that a Trump presidency will erode democracy and ultimately will weaken the US. Clinton has her faults but she is a highly accomplished politician, with an outstanding grasp off foreign affairs. Sadly, the US regards Turkey as a strategic ally and is wary of pressuring Erdogan‘s government, which has recently reached out to Russia increasing global tension.

Thoughts?