It is difficult to understand why Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is still rampaging against his own people and rebelling against Western allies with little impunity, especially since the failed military coup in 2016. Especially since Turkey is a member of NATO, which requires all members to: Uphold democratic principles in full compliance with shared values and goals.
Western officials often describe Turkey as Europe’s energy hub, with a geostrategic position between East and West. Additionally, Turkey hosts NATO long-range missile systems and U.S. troops at Incirlik Air Base.
However meritorious they may be, these explanations are difficult to reconcile with Erdogan’s gross human rights violations and abandonment of Western values. In order to change his behavior, it is essential to first assess his string of egregious violations at home and abroad and take the necessary steps depending on the extent of his violations.
President Erdoğan’s human rights violations
Widespread human rights violations have continued since the 2016 coup attempt, including arbitrary detention, violations of freedom of association and expression, labor rights, and freedom of movement.
In addition, 150,000 people, including civil servants and teachers, were fired after false accusations that Turkey was involved in the Gülen movement, which is considered a terrorist group.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan meets with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ankara, Turkey, on August 23, 2022. (Credit: MURAT CETINMUHURDAR/Presidential Spokesperson/Handout, via Reuters)
He also called for the extradition of Turkish nationals from other countries allegedly participating in the movement. Torture and ill-treatment, including severe beatings, sexual assault, and sleep deprivation, have become commonplace in police detention centers and prisons. Worse still, he detained human rights defenders and activists with the aim of putting pressure on civil society groups and NGOs critical of him.
Additionally, he has sacked and replaced thousands of judges and prosecutors with cronies to carry out his orders, led a witch-hunt throughout the Turkish Air Force, and has led many officers to join the Gülenists behind the coup. accused of being a person.
He regularly evades legal proceedings, engaging in enforced disappearances and illegal deportations.
President Erdoğan aggressively pursued critical journalists while blocking websites, news organizations, and general restrictions on the internet, resulting in more than 100,000 websites being blocked. President Erdoğan targeted the People’s Democratic Party (HDP), which primarily represents the Kurdish community, shutting it down, attacking the rights of millions of Kurdish voters, and intentionally subverting parliamentary democracy. . He has also used excessive force, torture, and violence against Kurdish women, while destroying their homes and cultural heritage, which became the norm under his reign of terror.
President Erdoğan’s defiance of Western allies
Since 2016, many controversial issues have strained relations between Turkey, NATO, and the United States, but as long as President Erdoğan is allowed to exploit Turkey’s geopolitical importance to the West, There appears to be no sign that any of these contradictory issues will be alleviated.
President Erdoğan’s human rights abuses, democratic backsliding, and erosion of the rule of law in Turkey remain significant sources of friction. President Erdoğan also initiated a foreign policy contrary to NATO’s military and political interests, primarily Turkey’s purchase of the Russian S-400 missile defense system. This led to US sanctions as inconsistent with Turkey’s commitments as a NATO ally.
Moreover, Turkey’s military intervention in Syria is inconsistent with US support for Syrian Kurdish forces, which are considered essential in the fight against ISIS. President Erdogan considers the Kurdish militia YPG to be a terrorist group with ties to the PKK. Turkey’s growing ties with Russia and its cautious stance toward China, particularly regarding cooperation in the Uyghurs and Syria, are also a source of constant friction.
Moreover, President Erdoğan has threatened to invade NATO member Greece and annex parts of EU member Cyprus over territorial disputes, particularly related to natural gas drilling rights, undermining regional safety and security. It is considered that These problems are further exacerbated by Turkey’s military exercises, which Greece and Cyprus consider to be a violation of their sovereignty.
Erdogan’s opposition to Sweden and Finland joining NATO has left the alliance struggling with how to deal with Erdogan’s voracious desire to impose his will. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened Sweden to take a tougher stance against groups it considers terrorist organizations, including the PKK. Only after Sweden addressed Turkey’s concerns did Turkey finally relent and allow Sweden to join NATO.
Other contentious issues include Erdogan’s repeated requests for the US to extradite Fethullah Gulen, who is responsible for the 2016 coup attempt, which the US has refused to do. ), and President Erdoğan’s recognition by the United States and France of the 1915 genocide of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire. He vehemently denies it.
Just recently, President Erdoğan openly expressed his support for Hamas, calling it not a terrorist but a “liberator” who protects the country. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s refusal to label it a terrorist organization highlights his complex relationships with regional powers and his efforts to position himself as a key figure in Middle East affairs.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan refused to condemn Hamas’ brutal attack that massacred 1,200 Israelis, but accused Israel of acting like “war criminals” and committing “genocide” in Gaza, calling on Israeli leadership He called for them to be tried for war crimes.
NATO’s division of responsibility
If President Erdoğan had been threatened with confronting NATO and certainly serious consequences if he did not change course and comply with NATO’s core requirements, President Erdoğan would have acted differently. There is no doubt that it might.
NATO’s failure to stand up to Erdoğan and demand that all member states adhere to its values, and the leniency with which NATO has allowed Charter violations with impunity, has made Erdoğan increasingly ruthless and rebellious. All I had to do was
Although it is difficult to take a stance against Turkey in light of the above points, allowing Turkey to continue uncritically is nothing but a slippery slope that will destroy NATO’s moral foundations and military cohesion.
Indeed, if NATO wants to remain cohesive and effective, it cannot allow any member state to fan the flames. Therefore, the time has come for NATO to take some punitive measures against Erdoğan.
punitive measures
Although the NATO Charter does not provide a mechanism for expelling member states, NATO will rely solely on political and diplomatic means to resolve disagreements with President Erdoğan, which have been difficult to resolve in the past. It is time to stop and instead resort to broad and transparent punitive measures.
These measures, especially exacerbated by the AKP’s crushing defeat in the March 31 local elections in Istanbul, could mark the beginning of the end of President Erdoğan’s political demise.
1. Imposing economic sanctions on Turkey, whether on an individual country or on a group of countries such as the European Union. These range from sanctions targeting specific individuals or sectors to more comprehensive economic measures. Turkey’s exclusion from the US F-35 program due to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s military operations in Syria and its purchase of the S-400 system from Russia is a case in point.
2. Restricting Turkey’s cooperation and participation in NATO activities by member states may exclude Turkey from certain joint activities. These include stopping the sharing of sensitive information and excluding Turkey from NATO decision-making processes.
3. Freezing or termination of bilateral or multilateral agreements between Turkey and other countries or between Turkey and international organizations. This includes not hosting military attachés to Turkey, finding a replacement base for Turkey’s Incirlik Air Base once the turmoil in Europe and the Middle East, which Erdoğan has used as leverage, subsides, and cooperation on certain defense-related projects. This includes stopping.
4. Many countries and international organizations can apply diplomatic pressure on Turkey by publicly expressing disapproval of certain actions through formal condemnations, public statements, and high-level diplomatic meetings. Finally, international legal mechanisms such as the International Criminal Court can address and investigate allegations of human rights violations.
Despite Turkey’s geopolitical importance, NATO should weigh Turkey’s contribution to the alliance against Erdogan’s defiance and make some concessions to accommodate Erdogan. Still, NATO cannot compromise the core values that keep it a viable and strong military alliance.
The author is a retired professor of international relations who most recently worked at New York University’s Center for Global Affairs. I teach courses on international negotiation and Middle East studies.
