They respond to a Financial Times columnist who recently suggested paying off Erdogan for Finland and Sweden to join NATO and explain why his strategy is problematic.
The opinion that NATO member countries should be prepared even to temporarily expel Turkey from the alliance is expressed in a letter to Financial TimesThe Mark Wallace former US ambassador to the United Nations and Madeline Johnson executive director of the NGO “Turkish Democracy Project”.
They line up against oriental bazaars with Turkey and warn that any concession of NATO will constitute victory for Erdogan and they will help him strengthen inside Turkey. They even respond to the columnist of the Financial Times Gideon Rahman who recently suggested that they be given financial exchanges to Tayyip Erdogan to give the green light for its inclusion Finland and her Sweden to NATO and explain why its strategy is problematic.
In detail the letter published in the Financial Times:
“Gideon Rahman suggests that NATO members be prepared to haggle, as it is called, in the Grand Bazaar of Istanbul if they want Turkey’s authoritarian president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to comply with Finland and Sweden’s NATO membership. Rahman suggests that NATO members should offer financial aid in exchange for cooperation on the Nordic issue.
The problem with this strategy is that it rewards Erdogan’s bad behavior. “It will encourage him to push for more concessions the next time unanimity is required to address a crisis. Any concession extracted from the alliance would be a diplomatic victory for Erdogan and help him strengthen domestically and win re-election next year.
The truth is that bargaining only works if you are willing to leave. As long as Erdogan knows that (NATO) members are reluctant to take the ultimate step and remove Turkey, even temporarily, he will continue to have the upper hand in negotiations.
NATO members already know that while Turkey belongs to NATO, Erdogan does not. They must be prepared to take the step towards this goal.
If NATO’s rules are changed to allow for the temporary suspension of member states’ participation until their leaders realign with the alliance’s principles and interests, then Erdogan will grasp the prospect of the real economic and strategic consequences of his actions. As Rahman himself points out, it was the Saudi boycott of Turkish goods, not an offer of economic aid, that led Erdogan to seek renewed ties with Saudi Arabia.
If you want to leave the Grand Bazaar with a fair price, you must first know where the exits are.
Mark Wallace,
Former US Ambassador to the United Nations
Director General of the Turkish Democracy Project, New York, USA
Madeline Joelson,
Madeleine Joelson
Executive Director of the Turkish Democracy Project, New York, USA
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