Turkey, Bridge Between Europe and the ME

"Positive developments from the United States regarding the F-16 issue and Canada keeping its promises will accelerate our parliament's positive view on [Sweden's membership]."

"All of these are linked."

"If we operate this simultaneously, we will have the opportunity to pass this through the parliament much more easily."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Erdogan shakes hands with Sweden's PM

The country seen as a link between East and West has been enormously altered under Recep Tayyip Erdogan, leader of the Justice and Development party. The country that Turkey is now, an Islamist, not an emerging democracy patterned after the West in the spirit of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, leading to an enlightenment where Islam was secondary to democratic rule, has been completely transformed. Turkey no longer has anything much in common with the West, and its membership in NATO seems contrarian, given its change.

 

Once again Erdogan is threatening Europe, playing the empowered bully as an Islamist authoritarian state. As he did when he warned Europe that he would only take steps to limit the numbers of refugees from Syria and elsewhere in the Arab/Muslim world seeking haven and economic advantage through illegal migration into Europe, by way of Turkey, by extracting huge sums of money from the European Union. Presumably, to compensate for and ameliorate its internal burden of giving haven to his brothers in Islam.

 

The millions that flooded Europe had the effect of diluting the indigenous German population when they settled in large numbers in towns and villages, upturning traditional values and customs, ignoring the historical heritage culture precious to Germans, and committing criminal acts out of proportion to their numbers. Most were single males, and among them jihadi infiltrators creating a problem of unruly demographics for whom the justice system was never recognized above that of sharia law.

 

 

Now, an Islamist petty dictator whose country is a NATO member dictates whether other European nations are fit to join NATO, since a total consensus must agree to the acceptance of new recruits to the alliance. Erdogan has withheld his consent for Sweden to join NATO, over issues of pecuniary and military value to himself and his country using his heft to insist that arms embargoes imposed on Turkey be lifted by other members of NATO.

 

Hungary, another member of NATO, from eastern Europe, one that distinguishes itself from other eastern European countries fearful of Russia's intentions, sides with Russia in its war against Ukraine, and it too is holding up formal approval of Sweden's bid to join the transatlantic military alliance. Erdogan has delayed the ratification of membership for Sweden for over a year, accusing the country of giving shelter to Kurdish militants along with other groups Ankara names as security threats to itself. 

Both Sweden and Finland, who up to the point where Russia invaded Ukraine had no interest in joining NATO, suddenly recognized that membership in the alliance would provide a good measure of security against Russia turning its military intentions on them as well as the Baltic states. Both countries lifted their traditional neutrality, then applied to join NATO, their application accepted swiftly by other NATO allies with the exception of Turkey.

The consummate expert in blackmail, Recep Tayyip Erdogan now links Sweden's membership with forcing the United States to agree that Congress must approve Turkey's intention to buy 40 F-16 fighter jets and kits, intending to modernize its existing air fleet as the second largest and most powerful military in the Alliance. 

The Turkish Veto: Why Erdogan Is Blocking Finland and Sweden’s Path to NATO  Foreign Policy Research Institute