S-400 missile system

Turkey’s Balancing Act in the Ukraine Conflict—Again

Turkey has once again positioned itself at the center of diplomatic efforts regarding the Ukraine conflict. Following high-profile visits to Ankara by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and...

Bridging the Gap

Turkey Between East and West

Eyeing Turkey, Greece Seeks Deal With Israel to Develop Iron Dome-like Air Defenses

Israeli military technology has showcased its effectiveness during more than a year of conflict, and other countries have taken notice. On November 14, Greek officials revealed that Athens was seeking...

Donald Trump Must Hold Turkey Accountable for Its Actions

Turkey’s authoritarian leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan was premature in his optimism at the re-election of Donald Trump. Erdogan is convinced that his existing relationship with Trump, will...

Turkey Shouldn’t Celebrate a Donald Trump Victory Just Yet

The Trump Administration Should Make Strong Demands of Turkey: Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan feels he has reason to be optimistic about the outcome of the U.S. elections. Like many,...

Turkey must earn Trump’s reconciliation

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan feels he has reason to be optimistic. He was bracing for the election of Vice President Kamala Harris. In his estimation, that would have been...

Israel’s Retaliatory Strike on Iran and What’s Ahead

The ‘How’ over the ‘What:’ Israel’s dilemma beyond target selection in Iran

Israel’s war cabinet has reportedly agreed on what Iranian targets to strike in response to Iran’s October 1 missile attack. So, the question now is what method Israel will employ to carry...

Awaiting Israel’s strike, Tehran pushes propaganda to cushion the blow 

“Lethal, precise and especially surprising.”   That’s how Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant framed Israel’s impending military response to the Islamic Republic’s overt and...

Turkey Supports Russia and Hamas; The US Should Not Give It F-35 Fighter Jets

Recent discussions between Turkey and the United States indicate that the Biden administration is actively pursuing Ankara’s reinstatement in the F-35 program. It is difficult to justify why Washington would want to arm Turkey with these highly advanced fighter jets, when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan takes fervent measures to undermine the core security interests of the United States, NATO, and our transatlantic allies.

Turkey should prove it is ready to embrace NATO

Turkey was thrown out of the F-35 combat aircraft program because of its actions which embraced Russia and were antithetical to NATO. The US drew a clear line in the sand by removing Turkey and cancelling...

Washington Should Demand Turkey Donate its S-400 Missiles to Ukraine and the U.S.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on the United States to lift a broad array of sanctions that impede the ability of the two NATO allies to hit long-term bilateral trade targets. The request...

The Biden Administration Should Not Sell F-35s to Turkey

The Greek daily Kathimerini on September 22 disclosed high-level negotiations between Washington and Ankara to sell U.S. F-35 joint strike fighters to Turkey. Equipping Turkey with a fifth-generation stealth...

Why Is The U.S. So Keen To Get Turkey Back Into The F-35 Program?

Ankara has and is taking visible steps to decouple itself from upholding the values and security priorities of the NATO alliance.

U.S. Marines in Turkey Assaulted by Nationalist Youth Group

Two U.S. Marines in Turkey were assaulted on Monday by more than a dozen members of the Turkish Youth Union (TYU), a secular nationalist youth group opposed to U.S. and European Union influence in the...

Turkey’s Threat to Block NATO Cooperation with Israel

On July 12, at the NATO summit in Washington, Turkey threatened to take steps to exclude Israel from all cooperation with NATO. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that “until comprehensive,...

Maybe nobody lost Turkey, NATO should stop pretending nothing is wrong

Understanding Turkey’s relationship with its Western allies is challenging, at times, non-sensical. Scholars debate between whether the West actually ‘lost’ Turkey, or whether Ankara actually chose...

Why President Erdogan’s DC Visit Was Canceled

It is time to stop treating Turkey as an indispensable nation deserving endless accommodation for its rogue foreign policy.

Turkey’s Suspension of Trade With Israel Cuts off Its Nose to Spite Its Face

On May 2, 2024, the Turkish Ministry of Trade ordered a total and immediate suspension of trade with Israel. Ankara’s punitive move may set a dangerous precedent for other states to follow. The Turkish...

The Despotic Duo

Russo-Iranian Cooperation and Threats to U.S. Interests