Erdoğan's New Turkey

Despite nearly 70 years as NATO allies, Turkey and the United States are locked in a series of diplomatic and national security disputes that have undermined mutual trust and weakened NATO's collective defense posture. A separate set of maritime disputes has damaged Turkey's relations with the European Union. Under its Islamist and increasingly authoritarian president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkey has drifted away from the West and closer to Russia in recent years, raising concerns in Western capitals. At the center of the conflicts, experts say, is the West's outdated image of Turkey as a junior NATO partner versus Erdoğan's determination to redefine Turkey as an independent and assertive regional power. Experts say it is unlikely that these tensions will subside while Erdoğan remains in power. But as his unorthodox economic policies drive up inflation and hollow out the country's lira currency, his political future is uncertain.