Downing of Russian jet forces Ankara to turn West
Experts argue that although Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is getting support from NATO and the European Union, he can never be part of the West because his Islamist outlook prevents him from adopting Western values.
It is no secret that Turkey’s ties with the United States and Europe have been less than warm in recent years. Given his innate Islamist orientation, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has made his distaste for all things Western apparent since coming to power. The West, in turn, has viewed Erdogan with suspicion, based on his rejection of Western democratic and social values, and his barely veiled efforts to shift Turkey’s strategic focus toward the Islamic world.
The downing of the Russian Su-24 fighter jet by the Turkish air force and the unprecedented tensions this has caused between the two countries appear set now to change that. This incident has underscored Turkey’s reliance on NATO, despite the inbuilt distaste of Turkish Islamists for the alliance.
The need, however, to counterbalance the potential strategic threat Russia poses to Turkey’s national security interests has left Erdogan with few choices other than trying to re-energize ties with the United States and Europe.
The United States and Europe are also more amenable toward Erdogan today because of their need for his support in combating the Islamic State (IS) in Syria and Iraq, and in addressing the refugee crisis emanating from the Syrian conflict.
