It’s election season in Turkey, and barely a day has gone by this week without comments from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on one of his favorite international topics: NATO.
Like other alliance members, Erdogan must approve applications by Sweden and Finland to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, but he says he’s holding out until their governments do more to crack down on Kurdish groups outlawed in Turkey.
He’s been demanding that Sweden extradite suspected Kurdish militants and alleged coup-plotters wanted by Ankara. A recent burning of Islam’s holy book in Stockholm by a right-wing extremist hasn’t helped matters, sparking outrage in Turkey and other Muslim nations.
Sweden and Finland say they have fulfilled the conditions for membership, and all other members bar Hungary agree. NATO diplomats want to finalize the expansion in time for the alliance’s summit in Lithuania in July.
The tussle over NATO holds broader relevance as war rages in Ukraine. Having Sweden and Finland on board could make it easier to stabilize the security of the area around the Baltic Sea and defend NATO members Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Those countries are often seen as potential targets for Russian military aggression.
This is happening against the backdrop of Turkey heading toward elections slated for May when Erdogan will seek to extend his two decades in power.
While he faces the biggest challenge yet to his presidency with an economy in turmoil, the opposition is still trying to get its act together — it has yet to name a candidate to challenge him — and two of its top leaders have been sanctioned by the courts for allegedly insulting election officials as well as Erdogan.
To guarantee victory, Erdogan needs to consolidate the support of his conservative and nationalist base.
The NATO dispute is a perfect way to portray himself as standing up to international pressure. — Sylvia Westall