Erdogan’s NATO triumph: How Turkey leveraged security concerns to outmaneuver Europe

NATO leaders are making a pilgrimage to Ankara for the alliance’s summit, marking a significant diplomatic victory for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The gathering represents a dramatic shift in Turkey’s standing within the Western alliance, driven by geopolitical anxieties about American commitment and Europe’s growing dependence on Ankara’s strategic position. The summit has become a showcase of Erdogan’s enhanced bargaining power, with the Turkish leader using NATO’s need for Turkish cooperation to extract concessions and secure Turkey’s regional interests.

The incoming Trump administration has signalled its willingness to satisfy Turkish demands, potentially including contentious defence deals involving F-35 fighter jets that have long been a point of contention. Meanwhile, European leaders are quietly setting aside their concerns about Turkey’s internal governance, choosing instead to focus on maintaining NATO unity and securing Turkey’s continued participation in alliance operations. The geopolitical calculation is stark: with questions swirling about American commitment to Europe, NATO members cannot afford to alienate their southeastern flank.

Yet beneath the diplomatic courtesies lies a troubling reality that few Western leaders are willing to publicly address. Turkey’s domestic crackdown on dissent, journalists, and opposition figures has intensified in recent years, creating what human rights organisations describe as a deepening authoritarian environment. The Turkish government’s suppression of free speech and political opposition stands in stark contrast to the democratic values NATO ostensibly champions, yet these concerns have been conspicuously absent from summit discussions.

Erdogan has been notably emboldened by what he perceives as Western capitulation to Turkish interests. The Turkish leader recently declared that “Europe needs us more than we need them,” a statement that captures the stark power dynamic now at play. By weaponising Turkey’s strategic importance—its control of critical waterways, its NATO membership, and its regional military capabilities—Erdogan has effectively silenced Western criticism of his government’s rights record. The message to authoritarian leaders elsewhere is unmistakable: strategic importance can buy diplomatic immunity from scrutiny about fundamental freedoms.

Source: Ynet — Original article in Hebrew.