Turkey should be treated like West’s rival, not ally
Turkey’s pursuit for neo-Ottoman policies and close
political relations with Russia necessitate the country be treated like an
opponent, not an ally of western countries, U.S.-based Israel advocate James
Sinkinson wrote for the Jewish News Syndicate on Wednesday.
“One of the most glaring examples of Turkey’s turn
away from the West and its interests is in its rapidly deteriorating
relationship with Israel,” Sinkinson said.
Among other signs of Turkey’s turn away from the
west are the purchase of Russian S-400 system, actions in the eastern
Mediterranean, involvement in foreign conflicts like Syria and support for the
Palestinian militant group Hamas, according to Sinkinson.
Although many Western leaders have eventually become
disillusioned with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan,
“few have attempted to
exert pressure on Turkey to change direction,” he continued. “They have been worried
that by pushing too hard, they will completely lose and alienate it.”
Another concern among Turkey’s allies is the threat
of renewed flow of refugees to Europe, but “this is a hollow threat,” as Ankara
has not acted on it for so long, he said. “If anything, (Turkey) continues to
allow access in the other direction, allowing terrorist sympathisers from
Europe to use it as an access point to join with terrorist groups in Syria and
Iraq.”
The United States, NATO and Turkey’s other allies
should exert economic, geostrategic and diplomatic pressure “to convince Erdoğan
that he has more to lose than gain from his behaviour,” Sinkinson said. “They
must show that they will not be bowed by threats from Turkey and its role in
conflicts, such as in Libya, to gain leverage.”
Ankara’s trade relations with Europe are its
strongest ties, with the European Union buying more than half of Turkey’s
exports and owning more than two-thirds of foreign direct investment, Sinkinson
said. Russia, China and Iran “simply cannot compete with this reality,” which
gives the EU and the United States leverage, he said.
