, Columnist
No, Turkey Has Not Abandoned the West
President Erdogan’s spokesperson argues that the U.S. and EU are to blame for the state of relations with Turkey.
A breakdown in trust.
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Turkey’s purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system has recharged a hoary old debate over whether Turkey is moving away from the West. The accusations against the country range from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s alleged authoritarianism at home to undermining NATO abroad.
These charges are baseless. They point to a profound failure of understanding and a deliberate dismissal of Turkey’s legitimate security concerns, the regional dynamics in which it operates and the larger geopolitical realities.