Lobbying 2015: Turkey resents America’s love story with the Kurds
The United States and Turkey are finding ways to work together in Syria and Iraq despite Washington’s growing concerns with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s authoritarian streak.
Turkey is engaged in a delicate diplomatic dance as it tries to convince the United States to abandon some of its best allies against the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS).
Ankara is earning kudos for finally allowing US warplanes to use Turkish air bases for bombing runs against IS after months of growing pressure. But President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has also made it clear that he sees Kurdish militants as an existential threat that he is determined to take out.
The Barack Obama administration has been willing to give Ankara the benefit of the doubt — for now.
“Turkey has continued to come under attack by PKK [Kurdistan Workers Party] terrorists, and we recognize their right to defend themselves against those attacks,” State Department spokesman John Kirby said after Turkey bombed the outlawed Kurdish militant group’s bases in northern Iraq late last month.
