Brunson affair becomes litmus test for Turkish-US ties
Uncertainty remains over whether the American pastor will be released from detention next week by a Turkish court.
The strategic relationship Turkey has had with the United States for over half a century is in danger today over an issue of no strategic importance in itself, but which has turned into a war of nerves in which neither side is prepared to blink first.
The case of American pastor Andrew Brunson is not the main reason underlying present tensions between Ankara and Washington, of course. The sides are at odds over multiple issues that have not been resolved but that do have strategic significance.
Turkey’s vehement opposition to US support for the People's Protection Units is only one example. Ankara says the Syrian Kurdish group is a terrorist organization that poses an existential threat to Turkey's security.
The Brunson affair has, nevertheless, turned into a litmus test for the future of a relationship that both sides hailed as a “lasting strategic partnership” until not so long ago.
