Andrew Brunson

Turkey is Collateral Damage in Erdoğan’s Hostage Diplomacy

His erratic policies scare away tourists and foreign capital.

Landmark Iran Sanctions Ruling Against Turkish Public Lender Builds U.S. Deterrence

A U.S. appeals court ruled on October 22 that Halkbank, a public lender majority-owned by Turkey’s sovereign wealth fund, cannot claim sovereign immunity under U.S. law to scuttle a federal criminal case...

Give Osman Kavala the Nobel Peace Prize

Kavala is a philanthropist who, for decades, has stood up to Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and to authoritarians of every stripe inside Turkey.

Turkey’s Anti-Kurdish Measures Violate Religious Freedom

Turkey has a long history of discrimination against its Kurdish citizens as well as restrictions against using the Kurdish language. While this systematic exclusion has drawn international attention, its...

Jeff Flake as ambassador to Turkey is a chance for my home country to heal

President Joe Biden on Tuesday nominated former Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake as ambassador to Turkey, a longtime NATO ally that has increasingly strained relations with the United States and other members...

U.S. Targets Turkey-Based Money Laundering Schemes With Links to Senior Turkish Officials

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said on Monday that it will seek to extradite Sezgin Baran Korkmaz, a Turkish businessman Austrian authorities arrested on June 19 for his alleged role in money laundering...

State Department Should Deliver an Honest Message about Turkey’s Religious Freedom Record

The US Department of State’s annual report on international religious freedom, released on May 12, documents the ongoing erosion of freedom of religion or belief in Turkey. The report echoes the concerns...

Turkey Needs to Change its Policy and Rhetoric Toward Religious Minorities

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan stunned his country’s Christians and Jews by publicly using the slur “gavur” (infidel), a pejorative designation for non-Muslims, to criticize...

Manhattan Court Gave Erdogan’s Pet Bank a Get-out-of-Jail-Free Card

Turkey’s currency is in free fall. International investors are fleeing the country. Accusations of bribery and support for terrorism abound. And something clearly is rotten at the heart of the Turkish...

Russia-Turkey Pincer Movement Threatens Ecumenical Patriarchate’s Survival

It is time the West offered robust support to the Istanbul-based Patriarchate – now being squeezed by Ankara and Moscow, both of which see it as a threat to their illiberal projects.

Turkey

Washington Can Help Free Turkey’s Highest-Profile Prisoner of Conscience

Among advocates for Turkey’s minorities, Osman Kavala is a secular saint. As a philanthropist, he has been the benefactor of initiatives to document and restore heritage sites, support arts and...

Biden and Erdogan: Five Potential Flashpoints in US-Turkish Relations

After being protected by Donald Trump, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan could soon face US sanctions and political pushback from Joe Biden’s administration that would sour Ankara-Washington relations.

State Department Calls Out Erdogan’s Hosting of Hamas Terrorists

The State Department registered its strong objection yesterday to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s hosting of two Hamas leaders in Istanbul on August 22. This is the first time the State Department...

Trump Should Teach Erdogan a Lesson in Law, Not Corruption

The president offered to help Turkey’s strongman beat U.S. courts, John Bolton has revealed. It only helps Iran.

Washington’s Muted Response Emboldens Erdogan’s Hostage Diplomacy

A Turkish court on June 11 convicted Metin Topuz, a Turkish national and liaison officer for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration at the U.S. Consulate General in Istanbul, to eight years and nine months...

Turkey the Only NATO Member Singled out in Annual Religious Freedom Report

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) released its 2020 Annual Report on April 28 and recommended the US government include Turkey on the State Department’s “Special...

Erdoğan’s Undeserving and Underwhelming Visit to DC

Trump’s ongoing bromance with Turkey’s authoritarian leader notwithstanding, Congress and the Administration must act to make clear that the United States isn’t giving Erdoğan a blank check to act in the Middle East.

Trump gave Erdogan everything he wanted

President Trump announced in a surprise statement on Wednesday that the United States would be lifting all sanctions imposed on Turkey for its recent ­offensive against Kurdish fighters in northeastern...

Trump’s first mistake in Syria was ever trusting Erdogan at all

President Trump’s deficient understanding of Muslims, many of whom are at the forefront of the fight against radical Islamism, leads him to see threats where none exist. It also prevents him from recognizing...