Zero Shells for $533 Million
Turkey’s Expanding Stake in America’s Munitions Base On Aug. 12, ProPublica documented what the Pentagon’s inspector general had already confirmed in July: a Texas plant built...
S-400 missile system
Axis of Aggressors Military Cooperation Is Worse Than You Think
The United States now confronts one of the most dangerous geostrategic environments since 1945, in no small part because of the emergence of a new Axis of Aggressors consisting of China, Russia, Iran,...
Op-eds
Turkey-Based Global Director of Sham Charity Arrested for Conspiring To Help Hamas
The jig is up for a Turkish resident who allegedly funneled millions of dollars to Hamas while posing as a philanthropist. On July 31, U.S. authorities announced the arrest of Mohammad Hasna, the global...
Policy Briefs
Iraq pressured by regional countries to rein in Iran-backed militias as new data on extent of attacks released
Iraq finds itself under growing pressure from regional countries and the US to rein in Iranian-backed Iraqi militias. The latest pressure from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Jordan comes as Ahmad...
Op-eds
Zelensky Warns of Another North Korean Troop Deployment to Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Moscow wants around 30,000 more North Korean troops, and they could soon arrive in Russia. These troops will almost certainly support Putin’s war effort...
Policy Briefs
US Treasury sanctions Turkish Hamas financiers as Erdogan presses for F-35s
On July 23, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated a Turkey-based Hamas money exchange alongside a senior Muslim Brotherhood official. Treasury said...
Op-eds
Ankara’s Charm Offensive Should Not Buy Back the F-35
The choreography in Ankara last week was impressive, even by Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s standards. Cannons fired, mounted honor guards paraded, and jets flew overhead trailing red, white, and blue smoke...
Op-eds
Selling the S-400 to Qatar or the UAE Solves Turkey’s Problem, Not Washington’s
Turkey’s decade-long standoff with Washington over the S-400 may finally be nearing an inflection point, though not in the tidy way Ankara once imagined, and not without a fresh dose of frustration...
Insights
Turkey’s Cooperation with Russia and China Is a Major Reason It Shouldn’t Receive the F-35 Jet
President Trump departed the NATO Summit in Ankara without announcing Turkey’s reinstatement in the F-35 program, a major disappointment to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. This omission...
Op-eds
Ahead of NATO Summit, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Calls Israel an ‘Unbearable Burden’
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan declared on July 3 that Israel has become a “burden that humanity can no longer bear” and called for international sanctions against the Jewish state. Israeli Foreign...
Policy Briefs
Don’t Launder Erdogan’s Record at the NATO Summit
The NATO summit convening in Ankara next week will offer Turkish strongman Recep Tayyip Erdogan an opportunity to present himself as a vital ally: one with a military capable of blunting Russian aggression,...
Insights
7 Fault Lines NATO Must Address in Ankara
As NATO leaders gather on July 7 to 8 in Ankara, the summit’s true test lies in unresolved faultlines over U.S. force posture cuts in Europe, host nation Turkey’s disruptive role within the alliance,...
Insights
Trump Administration Foreign Policy Tracker: July
Trend Overview Welcome back to the Trump Administration Foreign Policy Tracker. Once a month, we ask FDD’s experts and scholars to assess the administration’s foreign policy. They provide trendlines...
Policy Tracker
Russia, Hamas, and China: Three reasons Turkey shouldn’t get the F-35
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appears eager to impress Washington and Brussels at the upcoming NATO summit in Turkey, with Ankara undertaking robust preparations and Turkish officials trumpeting Erdogan’s...
Op-eds
Don’t Let Turkey Hijack the NATO Summit
NATO leaders must make it clear to Turkey that it cannot be a NATO member and pursue a foreign policy that undermines the alliance.
Op-eds
Turkey’s Missile Ambitions Should Alarm Europe and the United States
For years, European officials viewed Turkey’s growing defense industry as an important asset. Turkish drones proved effective in conflicts from Libya to Nagorno-Karabakh and Ukraine. Ankara...
Op-eds
America’s Ambassador to Turkey Is Undermining U.S. Interests
U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack raised eyebrows last weekend at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum when he stated, “Turkey is not a country to be messed with,” –– a remark intended to blame Israel...
Insights
Turkey the new Iran? Ankara’s growing challenge to Western interests
Turkey’s growing regional influence and ties to Hamas challenge NATO and US security.
Op-eds
This missile just proved itself in Iran. The US needs more, ASAP
Despite its advantages, the Precision Strike Missile has so far been procured in relatively small quantities.
Op-eds
Eyeing Turkey, Israel and Greece Work To Deepen Defense Ties
Israel and Greece, two of America’s key Mediterranean partners, are deepening their defense ties as both face continued Turkish hostility. This cooperation includes sales of advanced Israeli weapons,...