The recent NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, has been hailed as a resounding success. For one thing, European leaders managed to avoid a blow-up from U.S. President Donald Trump by assiduously presenting him with tributes: namely, evidence of their increased military spending. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, meanwhile, came closer to the lifting of U.S. sanctions that might allow Turkey to finally buy F-35s.
Then, there was the joint communique, a document that has often been a problem during Trump’s time in office. The Ankara communique was undoubtedly milquetoast, but it did contain all the correct platitudes and buzzwords, from the allies’ “ironclad commitment to [their] collective defense under Article 5 of the Washington Treaty” to their dedication to a “360-degree approach to deterrence and defense.”
The recent NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, has been hailed as a resounding success. For one thing, European leaders managed to avoid a blow-up from U.S. President Donald Trump by assiduously presenting him with tributes: namely, evidence of their increased military spending. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, meanwhile, came closer to the lifting of U.S. sanctions that might allow Turkey to finally buy F-35s.
