Trump's Alliance With Erdoğan Shields Turkey From NATO Pressure on Democracy and Russia

The personal rapport between Trump and Erdoğan has functionally suppressed NATO allies' criticism of Turkey over democratic standards and Russian sanctions posture, the Wall Street Journal reported July 4. With Trump expected at the Ankara NATO summit, European members lack leverage to press rule-of-law concerns when Washington signals cordiality. The dynamic recalibrates alliance politics—Turkey can extract diplomatic cover by hosting a summit where US attendance broadcasts its indispensability to Western security.