The troubling events in Ukraine are a direct threat to the interests of the US and its allies, but also an indirect threat by giving leverage to a wayward Turkey to strong-arm the US and its allies into ignoring its non-stop abuses simply to get Turkey to help Ukraine against Russia. Turkish acquisition of advanced weaponry, most recently its attempts to purchase advanced F-16 fighter jets, is the issue where this dynamic has played out most clearly.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Bob Menendez (D-NJ) just put this issue front and center by introducing an Amendment that would condition Turkey’s ability to buy advanced F-16s.
Scholars have long pointed to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s “Pan-Islamist, Neo-Ottoman,” ideology as a threat to regional stability. As such, Turkey was already on a downward slope in its relationship with the US. After Turkey’s purchase of the S-400 missile from Russia, it became a downward spiral. Turkey was the subject of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) due to its deal with Russia and was removed from the F-35 program. Rather than reversing course, Ankara simply changed its request to purchase advanced F-16s to modernize its air force.
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Ankara’s assumption seemed to be that the US was forced to kick them out of the F-35 program, but that once that was done, things would go back to normal. They were in for a rude awakening. Congressional pushback was immediate, with a pair of bipartisan letters, representing a bipartisan coalition of nearly 60 House members, opposing any sale of advanced F-16s to Turkey. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, also opposed the sale, and Ranking Member Senator Jim Risch (R-ID) was also hesitant, saying “Until the issues surrounding [the S-400 missile] purchase are resolved I cannot and will not support weapon sales to Turkey.”
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