December 16, 2022

Turkey and Transatlantic Relations: Ankara's views on Greece, Ukraine, NATO and more

In recent weeks, Turkey has been grabbing the headlines with a series of major moves. Just a few days ago, Turkish President Erdogan provoked anxiety in the U.S. and Europe by threatening to strike Athens with ballistic missiles, raising tensions with Greece. Meanwhile, Erdogan and Russian President Putin are reportedly discussing making Turkey a regional hub for Russian natural gas headed to Europe. All of this is occurring against the backdrop of Turkey’s increasingly contentious position within NATO, including its delays in approving membership bids by Finland and Sweden. How might these developments in Turkish foreign policy impact European security and transatlantic relations? Asli Aydintasbas and Steven Cook join Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Jim Townsend to discuss Turkey’s role on the international stage.

Asli Aydintasbas is a visiting fellow in the Center on the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution. Prior to joining the foreign policy community, she had a long career in journalism, during which she focused on Turkey, its domestic evolution, and foreign policy in an age of regional reshuffling and geopolitical competition.

Steven Cook is the Eni Enrico Mattei senior fellow for Middle East and Africa studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. He is an expert on Arab and Turkish politics as well as U.S.-Middle East policy.

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