Turkey Isn’t Leaving NATO, But It May Be Breaking With the West
- Exchange of threats on base closures revives alliance concerns
- Efforts to contain dispute with U.S. hide a longer trend
Just weeks after a NATO summit brushed internal disputes under the carpet, renewed sparring between the U.S. and Turkey points to longer term risks to the alliance.
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said this week that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization would have to discuss what to do about Turkey’s lack of commitment should Ankara carry through with a threat to block American access to military bases.
Officials at NATO’s headquarters in Brussels say that nobody is yet talking about the base closure threat, let alone Turkey’s potential expulsion from the alliance. Even so, Esper’s exchange with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reignited fears that the Western alliance could be on track for a showdown with Turkey - further down the line.