Insights into Turkish Domestic and International Politics
By John VanPool for the European Geopolitical Forum
President Erdogan goes to Washington
Turkey watchers observed with anticipation the meeting between two of the world’s most outspoken leaders when President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Donald Trump met in Washington D.C. on May 16. For all that was at stake – the U.S. plans to arm Kurdish militias in Syria, the extradition request for Fethullah Gulen, Turkey’s payments to Trump’s former National Security Advisor – the meeting flew under the radar for its lack of significant announcements. This was due in part to the American leader’s domestic troubles, as he attempted to navigate a growing scandal concerning his campaign’s ties to Russia and the firing of the head of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation.
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