Ahead of President Erdogan’s Visit to the United States

Taking a look at how the U.S.-Turkey situation has changed since
President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s last visit to the United States in
2013.
The United States will host the fourth and final Nuclear
Security Summit from March 31 to April 1, 2016. These nuclear summits,
previously held in Washington (2010), Seoul (2012), and The Hague (2014) have
been the most visible international effort to minimize the risk of nuclear
terrorism. With over fifty world leaders in attendance, this summit will also
mark the first visit to the United States by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of
Turkey since 2013.
President’s
Washington Program
Erdogan’s visit to the United States at the end of March
could be an opportunity for the United States and Turkey to foster new
cooperative efforts beyond nuclear terrorism threats. Although two leaders have
been communicating over the phone regarding domestic and regional developments,
the G20 Summit in Antalya, Turkey (November, 2015) was the last time President
Obama and Erdogan got together. President will have a busy schedule in
Washington. In addition to the Nuclear Security Summit, he will be having
various meetings and speaking at the Brookings Institution. On Saturday, after
the Nuclear Security Summit, President Erdogan will be opening the Diyanet Center of America in Maryland. This
Islamic-Ottoman social complex, funded primarily by the Turkish government,
will be the largest mosque in the western hemisphere. This event will be a
strong showing of Turkish presence amongst U.S. constituents.
Erdogan will be meeting one-on-one with U.S. Vice President
Joe Biden. Biden’s meeting will be as important as ever to preserve the U.S.-Turkey
relationship. The Summit is centered on discussions where world leaders,
especially Turkey and the U.S. have vested interest. Turkey remains the most
important state ally in fighting Da’esh, and it could use this meeting to
resolve some of the deteriorating relations that have occurred between the two
since 2013.
Much has changed in the relationship between the United
States and Turkey since Erdogan’s last visit to Washington. Not only have
international crises emerged, issues worsen, but also new infrastructure has
taken shape. For instance, Erdogan was
Prime Minister of Turkey, but now he has taken on the role as a President. Like
today, in 2013 the most prominent common threat to respective national security
was the deteriorating situation in Syria. However, today, the situation in
Syria is much worse. Turkey’s influx of refugees due to the crisis has
skyrocketed, and most notably, the deadliest terrorist attacks in Turkish history
have occurred within the past five months, meaning the conflict in Syria is
severely affecting the national security of Turkey; terror within Turkey is
extremely diverse.
The Refugee Crisis
The refugee crisis has drastically changed since 2013. The
refugee crisis has greatly expanded, and this issue is one that the states
could coordinate on with little controversy. In 2013, Turkey housed 400,000
Syrian refuges. In 2016, that number has risen to over 3 million. Since the
beginning of this humanitarian crisis, the United States has been the world
leader in foreign aid, donating a total near $5 billion to various institutions
dealing with migrants, and the United States announced on March 28th
that it would contribute another $20 million. However, Turkey’s national
government has spent nearly $8 billion since 2011. The United States needs to
continue monetary support as well as exert influence within NATO to play a
stronger role in stemming the refugee crisis. The United States must also
continue to pressure Russia to end bombing campaigns of civilian cities like
Aleppo, which has caused the most recent surge of refugees to Turkey; in this
sense, the United States must not only work to maintain the cease-fire but end
bombings by Russia in the region completely.
Coordination in Syria
Turkey’s main priority in Syria has long been the Assad
regime, while the United States has primarily focused its efforts on Da’esh. These diverging goals have caused little animosity
between the two until now. Although United States played a key role in
establishing a coalition to carry out air strikes, in the absence of an
internationally backed ground forces, YPG, the military component of the
Syrian-Kuridish political organization the PYD, became the de-facto fighting force
against Da’esh. Meanwhile, Turkey has proposed the international community
support Syrian opposition forces connected to the Muslim Brotherhood.
The U.S. support for this organization is quickly
approaching a critical point as the YPG has a strong connection to the PKK, the
Kurdish Workers Party that has been recognized as a terrorist organization by
the United States and other members of the international community. Scholars
from prominent think-tanks have written extensively on the YPG – PKK
connection, highlighting the fact that YPG soldiers have also been soldiers for
the PKK and vice versa therefore there is an intrinsic link between the two
organizations. In addition, Human
Rights Watch, Amnesty
International, and other
organizations reported that the PYD have conducted a consistent campaign
killing many anti-Assad and pro-Peshmerga Kurds since 2011, amounting to war
crimes. The PYD has even banned Rudaw, one of the
largest Kurdish media networks in the world, from reporting in its areas.
As the Syrian conflict enters its sixth year, countries that
are directly affected by it, primarily Turkey and the European Union, are
looking for greater engagement and leadership from the United States. Whether
it will be under the current administration or the next, the United States
needs to decide how to proceed in Syria. If the United States continues to support
the YPG, diplomatic relations with its NATO ally will most likely be jeopardized.
Considering Russia and Iran’s influence in Syria, this has the potential to
lead to a greater strategic foreign policy mistake.
Common Values and
Strategic Interests
Despite current disagreements on these critical issues, the
two sides really need each other to address the Syrian crisis. Recent terrorist
attacks in Ankara, Istanbul, Brussels and Baghdad underscores the fact that
unless stability is restored in the region, no country will be safe. As a NATO
ally, Turkey is and always will be an important partner with the United States
in this effort. By working closer with the European Union and NATO, Turkey has
taken the first step to try to stem the tide of migrants.
Allison Feikes
Turkish Heritage Organization