Sixteen years on, frustration with Ankara resurfaces

Comments last week by Acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, who drew parallels between Moscow's "unsafe and unprofessional" behavior following the near-collision between US and Russian warships in the Philippine Sea and Turkey's moves in the Eastern Mediterranean, pointed to something much more profound and significant than the usual occasional statements.

Ahead of talks with his Greek counterpart Evangelos Apostolakis at the Pentagon, Shanahan was asked to comment on Turkish aggression in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea. He said there were similarities, and although he cautioned against tying the two behaviors, the heart of the matter does not change.
Turkey has proved a difficult ally for Washington in the past two decades. Shanahan's remarks underscore the line of thought that currently permeates America's foreign policy and defense establishment...