Turkish-US defense ties
Recent reports indicating that the United States has resumed talks with Ankara for the sale of F-35 fighter jets in exchange for putting the Russian S-400 missile system on ice have caused a stir in Greece.
Comments by the outgoing US ambassador in Ankara, Jeffry Flake, who suggested that Turkey’s role is even more important today because of the turmoil in the world, also sparked concern, while the rapprochement between Ankara and Cairo and the military cooperation agreement between Turkey and Libya were met with surprise and consternation. But why the surprise? As one of the most populous, militarily powerful and economically developed countries in the Muslim world, Turkey obviously has a much deeper sense of a region where Western interventions do not have a stabilizing effect.
And none of this means that Greece has been left to its own devices. Of course the country’s strategic position is important. That said, if the US deems that its broader geopolitical interests will be better served by giving Turkey the F-35s, then that’s exactly what it will do.
Perhaps it will not do so now as the Democrats are locked in a battle to prevent Donald Trump from being elected president again on November 5 because they don’t want to alienate Greek-American voters. They also don’t want to alienate the Jewish element, which is enraged at Ankara’s stance toward Hamas. So, Turkey can bide its time, as it always does.
