Prof. Dr. Ata Atun: "Could US-Turkey relations deteriorate?"

Prof. Dr. Ata Atun: "Could US-Turkey relations deteriorate?"
Date: 19.7.2022 14:00

Milli Gazete columnist Prof. Dr. Ata Atun writes on US-Turkey relations. Here is the full article.

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In Madrid, where US President Joe Biden was at the NATO Leaders Summit, he said: “We must sell F-16 aircraft to Turkey and at the same time modernize the aircraft. It is not in our interest not to do this”, which prompted the anti-Turkey lobbies in the United States.
 
These lobbies sent a letter signed by 35 deputies in the US Congress to President Biden, "Don't sell F-16s to Turkey," and then a scandalous letter to Biden that disparaged Turkey.
 
The anti-Turkish moves of the lobbies do not surprise us, but it is not right to leave the square to these disinformation masters.
 
Now let's come to the issue of whether the USA will be under the influence of these lobbies; The US strategies regarding the Balkans, the Sea of ​​Islands, the Eastern Mediterranean, the Middle East, the Caspian Region, the Caucasus and the Black Sea Region are based on Turkey. Turkey is in the lead role.
 
It is certain that the involvement of President Biden and the Pentagon in these provocations will harm the regional interests of the United States. According to the political mind, Greece is no longer as important a country for the USA as it used to be. The cries of the Greek lobby are really tears of disappointment.
 
In my opinion, the participation of 37 different countries in addition to the USA in the EFES-2022 military exercise organized by Turkey in the Sea of ​​Islands reveals how important Turkey is as a regional power.
 
Developments such as the failure of anti-Turkey organizations, which were elevated to the position of an ally of the USA for a while in the Middle East, lost their position in the process, and the Ukraine-Russia War, which left its mark on 2022, and the emergence of the food and energy crisis in the world, - with the establishment of regional peace. It has seriously demonstrated Turkey's regional value in terms of grain and energy transfer to neighboring countries.
 
The fact that the US Department of Defense supports the modernization of Turkey's F-16 fleet is an indication of how closely the US's regional interests are connected with Turkey.
 
Despite all these realities, if US President Biden cannot convince the US Congress and a new F-16 sale to Turkey cannot be realized, it is inevitable that a center shift will begin to occur within the Western bloc.
 
It is clear that the loss of the Incirlik air and electronic listening base, the Kürecik Air Defense system, the Sinop regional listening facilities, and especially Turkey as an ally, as a result of the touting of the lobbies, will cause a significant loss of power for itself - regionally.
 
Central shift means the US handing over its eastern power to other countries. This shift may emerge as the development of military and economic relations between Turkey and England, for example.
 
The US-oriented center of the western bloc may begin to shift eastward towards Europe. Most importantly, Ankara's remaining trust in Washington could be destroyed. In other words, the influence of the USA in the Balkans, the Eastern Mediterranean, the Middle East and the Caucasus, which has begun to weaken, will come to a breaking point with its discord with the regional power Turkey.
 
In summary, the USA now has to choose its side. Is it Turkey, with which it became close by calling itself "our ally" when it was in trouble? Or is it weak and insignificant countries such as Greece, the Greek Cypriot Administration and Armenia, which have lost their regional importance today? While it is an important fact that it will be against the USA to be influenced by these disinformation masters who only feed on lobbying, Biden and his crew will have to act sensibly.

YEREL HABERLER

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