GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

Between the U.S. and Turkey, Andrew Brunson Is Only Part of the Problem

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Sinan Ciddi
Board of Contributors

Aug 12, 2018 | 13:00 GMT

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the crowd gathered before Ankara's Presidential Palace on July 9, 2018, the day of his inauguration for another term in office.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the crowd gathered before Ankara's Presidential Palace on July 9, 2018, the day of his inauguration for another term in office. Erdogan's brazen use of imprisoned U.S. citizens as a bargaining chip with the United States has put more strain on the countries' alliance.

(Stringer/Getty Images)

Highlights

  • Since the attempted coup against his government in July 2016, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has used the arbitrary arrest and imprisonment of U.S. citizens in Turkey as a tool for negotiating with Washington.
  • In response, the United States will consider passing more damaging sanctions, in addition to the first wave it imposed in late July.
  • The escalating dispute is just one of many issues — including Ankara's plans to deploy the Russian S-400 missile defense system — threatening the United States' alliance with Turkey.

In the wake of Turkey's latest elections, the country's relationships abroad are only getting rockier. The June 24 vote formally instated an executive presidential system, institutionalizing re-elected President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's one-man rule. At the same time, it has continued the deterioration of Turkey's relations with its partners and allies, foremost the United States. The ever-escalating diplomatic rupture, largely at Erdogan's hand, represents an abrupt departure from Turkey's national interests in favor of a personalized and impulsive foreign policy. Even if Washington and Ankara can resolve their immediate problems -- such as the recent arrest of U.S. citizens in Turkey -- the numerous, and multiplying, issues on which Turkey and the United States now disagree could be their relationship's undoing....

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