Whatever the expectations for the July 7-8 NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, the geopolitical situation favors Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan so heavily that he is all but guaranteed to emerge the winner—if NATO summits can have winners at all. In the wake of the disastrous Iran war, both the timing and the venue are highly auspicious. U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters that he was coming to Ankara solely for Erdogan—another small, symbolic victory.
The Turkish strongman enters the event with immense leverage and high expectations: Boosting his own standing as a seasoned statesman, if not even functioning as a broker between Europe and the United States, is probably the least important on the list. Securing critical American economic lifelines, including a potential currency swap line; getting Turkey readmitted to U.S. defense supply chains, including the sale of F110 jet engines for Turkey’s KAAN jet program; and forcing Turkey’s integration into the EU’s new defense procurement system, which is valued at a staggering 150 billion euros ($171 billion), are probably at the top of his wish list.
Whatever the expectations for the July 7-8 NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, the geopolitical situation favors Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan so heavily that he is all but guaranteed to emerge the winner—if NATO summits can have winners at all. In the wake of the disastrous Iran war, both the timing and the venue are highly auspicious. U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters that he was coming to Ankara solely for Erdogan—another small, symbolic victory.
