Responding to the US, Türkiye plays hide-and-seek again!

In his latest statement, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to close two strategic military bases that the US and NATO have located in Türkiye. Once again, the Ankara government has launched a “strategic hide-and-seek” game to seek benefits from its partners and allies!

Give and take

In fact, this is not the first time that Turkish President Erdogan has used the issue of closing a military base to threaten his US ally. During many times when relations between the two sides were tense, Ankara also used this "trick" to put pressure on its ally Washington.

More than anyone else, Ankara understands that it holds the strategic cards of the US and NATO. It should be recalled that Incirlik and Kurecik are two extremely important military bases near the border with Syria where the US has many strategic goals.

Incirlik is the base that the US Air Force has used to carry out airstrikes against the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS) in Syria. It is also believed to be one of the bases that stores US nuclear warheads in Europe. Meanwhile, Kurecik is the location of one of NATO's main radar stations.

İncirlik Air Base is used by Türkiye to put pressure on the US. Photo: Anadolu Agency

This time, too, Türkiye’s warning comes in response to lawmakers in the US Senate recently backing a bill that would impose sanctions on Ankara over its purchase of the Russian S-400 air defense system; as well as Ankara’s military campaign against Kurdish forces in northern Syria. In addition, the US Senate recently passed a resolution recognizing the Ottoman Empire’s massacre of Armenians as “genocide.”

Public opinion has not forgotten that the relationship between the two allies, the US and Turkey, which was already troubled, was stirred up in October when Türkiye unilaterally carried out a military campaign in northern Syria without receiving the nod from the US and NATO.

"An eyesore" is one thing, but whether the US can punish Türkiye appropriately is another.

In addition, with the S-400 air defense system, the US, which was already extremely "annoying" to Türkiye, has also affirmed that this is a threat to the US's F-35 stealth fighter. Obviously, the close handshake between Turkey and Russia has made it impossible for the US to be lenient with a series of sanctions that are suffocating the country's economy.

But being “an eyesore” is one thing, and whether Türkiye can be punished appropriately is another. Understanding his country’s strengths such as its geostrategic position, being a member with the second largest armed force in NATO, President Erdogan has recently become famous for his “cat and mouse” strategies that give his allies, including the US, headaches!

Two troubled allies: US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. Photo: Getty

DOUBLE WATER TACTICS

Looking back recently, the Ankara government has openly joined hands with many of America's rivals such as Russia, Iran, Venezuela... Along with that is the tactic of creating pressure and bargaining for strategic interests with allies. In the latest move, on the one hand, Ankara threatened to close two strategic US military bases, but on the other hand, it has just said that it is "ready to buy the Patriot system made in the US and is waiting for Washington's response".

Despite both the “stick” and the “carrot,” the Ankara government has so far remained steadfast in its plan to purchase the S-400 from Russia.

The public must remember that the starting point was Türkiye's attempt to buy its own Patriot missile defense system but faced opposition from both the US and NATO.

Frustrated with its allies, Ankara turned to seek an S-400 deal with a new partner, Russia. Worried that its ally would "lean" toward Moscow, Washington then tried every way to attract Ankara, ready to provide the latest version of the Patriot - in exchange for the country having to give up the S-400 system. However, despite both the "stick" and the "carrot", the Ankara government has so far remained steadfast in its plan to buy the S-400 from Russia. Therefore, public opinion wonders what Türkiye wants when it suddenly "kicks the Patriot ball" to the US court.

Russia's S-400 air defense missile system - the source of tension between the US and Türkiye. Photo: Hurriyet Daily News

In fact, for Türkiye at this time, buying both the Russian S-400 and the American Patriot is not redundant! In the context that Ankara has no intention of stopping its military strategy in the region, especially in Syria, upgraded defense capabilities are always necessary for this country.

If the S-300 and S-400 are Russia's strongest interception systems today, the PAC-3MSE system, the strongest version of the Patriot system, has far surpassed previous versions and is approaching the capabilities of the S-400.

Therefore, it is logical that Ankara once again "offered" to buy Patriot from the US right after threatening to close two strategic military bases that it currently holds.

Obviously, this is a double-edged sword, as it puts pressure on the US to reduce or remove sanctions imposed on this country, while also forcing the US to consider selling the Patriot system to Ankara.

Türkiye still wants to buy Patriot missile systems from its US ally. Photo: US Air Force

For his part, US President Donald Trump is certainly no stranger to his calculating ally, Turkish President Erdogan. However, Mr. Trump himself is entangled in legal troubles in the impeachment investigation at home.

Any wrong move, no matter how small, will cause the president’s image to decline in the eyes of voters, as the election approaches. Therefore, how to deal with ally Türkiye will once again give Donald Trump a headache! Meanwhile, despite his “many tricks”, Turkish President Erdogan also understands that pressure and warnings always have limits that cannot be exceeded.

Both the US and Türkiye understand the importance of the strategic relationship between the two allies and the NATO bloc. It is difficult and calculating, but it cannot be broken! Up to this point, the US has not yet responded to Turkey's request to buy the Patriot system.

But perhaps, after just a few meetings or phone calls to bargain for benefits between the leaders of both sides, the success or failure of the deal will soon be decided!