The Trump administration, which has been so adamant in opposing Iran, is facilitating the rise of another expansionist Islamic state seeking regional hegemony — namely, Turkey, writes David Ignatius in his Washington Post article, News.am reports. 

According to him, Turkey is moving away from its former position as a NATO member and Israel's key ally in the Muslim world and is beginning to look more like Iran. Both Iran and Turkey "push radical versions of Islam at a time when moderate voices are rising in many Arab countries, such as the UAE, Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia"."

Turkey's relations with NATO have become strained after it acquired the Russian S-400 air defense systems. The US claims the purchase poses a security threat to NATO member states and has passed legislation providing for sanctions against Turkey.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received the wanted leaders of the Islamist Hamas in Istanbul, and Turkey found itself in the grip of escalating tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean over its claims to territorial waters and natural resources in the region.

Members of the US Congress “have quietly frozen all major U.S. arms sales” over the past two years, Ignatius notes, citing Defense News, as Congress is suspicious of Erdogan.

"That’s unseemly, but what worries regional leaders even more is Erdogan’s Iran-like push to project military power. A graphic posted recently by the Turkish news agency TRT listed 12 foreign countries where Turkish troops are operating: Northern Cyprus, Syria, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Somalia, Qatar, Afghanistan, Albania, Lebanon, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Sudan. That list doesn’t include Libya, where Erdogan has sent thousands of Turkish-trained Syrian mercenaries to support the Tripoli government. Critics say Erdogan also uses the network of the Muslim Brotherhood to advance his cause," the author noted. "Erdogan’s secret is that he has assiduously stroked President Trump’s ego. He places regular calls to the White House and plays to Trump’s idea of personal diplomacy. Trump bragged last month that a “top leader” had asked him to call the Turkish president, saying: “ ‘You’re the only one he respects. . . . You’re the only one he’ll listen to.’"

The author also noted that Turkey threatens regional stability, and Trump's soft stance contradicts his criticism of his predecessor Barack Obama for being soft on Iran.

07 September 2020 / 13:10