Erdogan

Erdogan finally approved Sweden's NATO bid a few weeks ago. With the Biden administration green-lighting the F-16 sale in return, Washington now seems to be employing a new approach of positive reinforcement with Ankara.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan congratulated his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, on Wednesday for securing a fifth consecutive term in elections.

Senator Chris Van Hollen, an important voice of the Democratic caucus in the upper chamber of Congress, announced a few days ago that he will not aim to block the sale of F-16s to Turkey after the latter has ceased its incursions into Greek airspace, and, maybe more importantly, the Biden administration gave him assurances that it will continue to monitor this matter closely.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan calls on Israel to cease its attacks following a significant ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against the nation.

Henri Barkey, the Cohen Professor of International Relations at Lehigh University and Adjunct Senior Fellow for Middle East Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, joins Thanos Davelis to discuss the vote on Sweden in Turkey's Parliament and look at the lessons US policymakers should walk away with from Erdogan's handling of Sweden's NATO accession.

In celebration of the 97th anniversary of the National Intelligence Organization (MİT), the "Temas Istanbul" exhibition has opened its doors at the Ataturk Cultural Center (AKM) on Jan. 19, in which a collection of unique listening and surveillance objects such as shoes, watches, ties, and scales can be found.

About a week ago Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Turkey, where he met with Turkish President Erdogan. Diplomatic sources said Blinken arrived bearing potential gifts to entice Turkey to wrap up the issue of Sweden's NATO membership. These included everything from new ways to provide F-16s to Turkey to a White House visit for Turkish President Erdogan.

Since President Erdogan agreed in principle to enlargement at the NATO summit in Vilnius last July, we have witnessed a political back-and-forth on the Swedish issue reminiscent of the hustle and bustle of an oriental bazaar. 

This new year finds Washington in a bind over how to effectively engage with Turkey, a trend we've documented for at least half a decade. The tug of war over Sweden and F16s, and Ankara's stance on the Arab-Israeli conflict, are the latest examples of this.

A tough stance toward Ankara is the only way to defend US regional interests and stop Erdogan’s mercurial and manipulative policies