While many Americans were focused on the impeachment hearings that engulfed Capitol Hill, and were were fairly explosive in substance, President Trump was at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue hosting one of the world’s most preeminent strongmen. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey continues to lead Turkey further into authoritarianism, yet he was gifted with an invitation from the White House. To understand why this move by the president is truly baffling, understanding President Erdoğan’s domestic and foreign policy is essential.
First, let us turn to his domestic policy, where Erdoğan’s government jails more journalists than any other nation on the planet. Yes, you read that correctly: more than China, North Korea, and Russia to name a few. May I also remind our readers that Erdoğan has even jailed American journalists and essentially held them hostage for periods of time (see here). In 2016 alone, Erdoğan declared a state of emergency, which gave him the authority to arrest over 50,000 people. Furthermore, Erdoğan ushered in a new constitution in 2017, in which he usurped the powers of the Prime Minister, subsequently abolished the office, and changed Turkey’s parliamentary system to a presidential system. Thus, Erdoğan successfully codified his de facto one-man rule. Yet, his quest for political consolidation extends even further, as in 2017 he successfully sponsored legislation that made it illegal for the Turkish legislative branch to investigate his executive branch under any circumstances. It is safe to say that Erdoğan has subjugated the rule of law in his country and is paving the way for a Turkey that more resembles the Ottoman Empire than a NATO member.
Domestically, Erdoğan has created a huge mess, and on the international stage, he has catalyzed similar chaos. Most recently, after the United States abandoned its Kurdish allies in Syria, Erdoğan invaded Northern Syria and is actively seeking the extermination of the Kurds. Thus, they have been forced to ally with President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, who is yet another despot in the Middle East. However, Erdoğan’s disrespect extends more directly towards the United States regarding his deal with Russian strongman, President Vladimir Putin. Erdoğan ordered the purchase of the Russian Anti-Aircraft Missile System, the S-400 Triumph, which under other circumstances would be problematic, but not extraordinarily concerning. Yet, as a member of the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training Program (ENJJPT) and an importer of the American-made F-35 Lightning Fighter Jet, purchase of the missile system warranted immediate removal from the ENJJPT program. Hopefully, one can see the blatant problem with importing defense products from our arch-adversary, Russia.
All this being said, why is Erdoğan being offered a highly coveted White House meeting, while other heads of state like President Zelensky of Ukraine struggle to attain such an audience? President Trump has experienced successes on the international stage for sure, but this was definitely a foreign policy blunder and undoubtedly an odd choice that only feeds the Left’s hysteria during this troubling time.
Javon A. Price (SFS ’21) is a Contributor.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official or personal position of the Editorial Board, Contributors, or Business Staff of The Georgetown Review.
