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You are here: Home / Archives for Turkey

U.S. Drones Saw Turkish Forces Targeting Civilians

November 12, 2019 at 9:23 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“U.S. military officials watched live drone feeds last month that appeared to show Turkish-backed Arab gunmen targeting civilians during their assault on Kurdish fighters in northeastern Syria, attacks the Americans reported to their commanders as possible war crimes,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The existence of the military surveillance videos, which hasn’t been previously disclosed, provided what some of the U.S. officials saw as firsthand evidence of apparent war crimes by forces backed by Turkey, a NATO ally. Others said the videos were inconclusive.”

Filed Under: Foreign Affairs Tagged With: Syria, Turkey

Erdogan Seeks Putin’s Support In Syria

October 22, 2019 at 8:42 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with his Russian counterpart to discuss dividing influence in Syria as U.S. troops pull out and a five-day halt to a Turkish offensive comes to an end, with both Ankara and Moscow seeking to capitalize on a rebalancing of power in the region,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Ahead of Tuesday’s meeting in the Black Sea resort town of Sochi, Mr. Erdogan said he would seek Russian President Vladimir Putin’s support to create a safe zone in northeastern Syria that is free of Kurdish fighters whom Ankara views as a terrorist threat.”

Filed Under: Foreign Affairs Tagged With: Russia, Syria, Turkey

Erdogan Called Trump’s Bluff

October 13, 2019 at 7:18 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Trump had been calling Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s bluff for more than 2 years, and some senior administration officials thought Erdoğan would never actually go through with his long-threatened Syria invasion,” Axios reports.

“Trump would tell Erdoğan that if he wanted to invade Syria he would have to own whatever mess ensued… Erdoğan would have to take care of ISIS and manage international condemnation, trouble from Capitol Hill, and the quagmire with the Kurds. And when Trump put it in such stark terms to Erdoğan, the Turkish leader would demur. Until last Sunday, that is, when he told Trump he was moving ahead with the invasion of northern Syria.”

“This time, Erdoğan called Trump’s bluff, having waited for international forces to wipe out the ISIS caliphate.”

Filed Under: Foreign Affairs Tagged With: Turkey

Erdogan Threatens to Send Millions of Refugees to Europe

October 10, 2019 at 11:34 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said he will send the 3.6 million Syrian refugees in Turkey to Europe if European countries continue to criticize his military incursion in Syria, Reuters reports.

Said Erdogan: “We will open the gates and send 3.6 million refugees your way.”

Filed Under: Foreign Affairs Tagged With: Syria, Turkey

Lindsey Graham Says Trump Is Putting Nation at Risk

October 9, 2019 at 7:48 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

In an interview with Axios. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) condemned President Trump in his harshest language yet for deciding to withdraw U.S. troops from northern Syria, suggesting Trump is violating his oath of office by allowing Turkey to move in and attack the Kurds.

Said Graham: “I think he’s putting the nation at risk, and I think he’s putting his presidency at risk. And I hope he will adjust his policies like he did before. That would actually be a sign of real leadership.”

Filed Under: Foreign Affairs Tagged With: Syria, Turkey

Graham Rips Trump’s Decision to Pull Troops from Syria

October 7, 2019 at 9:08 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is enraged over President Trump’s decision to abandon U.S. allies in northern Syria and took the rare step of challenging the president on Twitter and in a phone call to Fox News, calling it a “disaster in the making.”

Said Graham: “If I’m an Isis fighter, I’ve got a second lease on life. So to those who think ISIS has been defeated, you will soon see.”

Filed Under: Foreign Affairs Tagged With: Lindsey Graham, Syria, Turkey

Why Presidents Should Divest

October 7, 2019 at 8:28 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

After the White House announced late last night the U.S. would be essentially approving a Turkish incursion into Syria — contrary to what had been long-standing policy — Ryan Lizza dug up a 2012 tweet from Ivanka Trump celebrating the launch of Trump Towers Istanbul.

Said Lizza: “This is why presidents divest. It is crazy that a president is making national security decisions like the one tonight when he has lucrative business relationships at stake in the country that will benefit.”

Filed Under: Foreign Affairs Tagged With: Ivanka Trump, Turkey

Trump Call with Turkish Leader Led to Pull Out

December 21, 2018 at 10:33 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Trump’s decision to withdraw American troops from Syria was made hastily, without consulting his national security team or allies, and over strong objections from virtually everyone involved in the fight against the Islamic State,” the AP reports.

“Trump stunned his Cabinet, lawmakers and much of the world with the move by rejecting the advice of his top aides and agreeing to a withdrawal in a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week.”

Filed Under: Foreign Affairs Tagged With: Syria, Turkey

Trump May Boot Erdogan Foe from U.S. to Appease Turkey

November 15, 2018 at 12:10 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The White House is looking for ways to remove an enemy of Turkish President Recep Erdogan from the U.S. in order to placate Turkey over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi,” NBC News reports.

“Trump administration officials last month asked federal law enforcement agencies to examine legal ways of removing exiled Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen in an attempt to persuade Erdogan to ease pressure on the Saudi government.”

Filed Under: Foreign Affairs Tagged With: Saudi Arabia, Turkey

Erdogan Says Saudi Officials Plotted to Kill Khashoggi

October 23, 2018 at 6:33 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, having promised to reveal the ‘naked truth’ of a Saudi plot to kill the journalist Jamal Khashoggi, said on Tuesday that a team including Saudi generals had flown in to carry out the mission,” the New York Times reports.

“Mr. Erdogan’s much-anticipated address came after more than two weeks of carefully orchestrated leaks to the media by Turkey that implicated the highest levels of the government of Saudi Arabia in the death of Mr. Khashoggi.”

Said Erdogan: “Covering up this kind of savagery will hurt the conscience of all humanity. Saudi Arabia took an important step by accepting the murder. After this, we expect them to reveal those responsible for this matter.”

Filed Under: Foreign Affairs Tagged With: Saudi Arabia, Turkey

Erdogan Promises Details on Khashoggi Killing

October 22, 2018 at 8:00 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he’ll “go into details” about the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at meeting of his AKP party’s parliamentary group on Tuesday, Bloomberg reports.

Said Erdogan: “Why did 15 people come here, why did 18 people get arrested? All of this must be explained with all details.”

Filed Under: Foreign Affairs Tagged With: Saudi Arabia, Turkey

Turkey Will Not Allow ‘Cover Up’ In Khashoggi Killing

October 20, 2018 at 10:23 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Turkey will “never allow a cover-up” of the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul, a senior official in Turkey’s ruling party said Saturday after Saudi Arabia announced hours earlier that the writer died during a “fistfight” in its consulate, the AP reports.

“The critical reaction by Numan Kurtulmus, deputy head of the Justice and Development Party, suggested that Turkey… was not prepared to go along with the Saudi version of what happened to the writer…. He also said that Turkey would share its evidence of Khashoggi’s killing with the world and that a ‘conclusive result’ of the investigation is close.”

Reuters notes that Saudi officials “provided no evidence to support its account of the circumstances that led to Khashoggi’s death.”

Filed Under: Foreign Affairs Tagged With: Saudi Arabia, Turkey

Turkey Renames U.S. Embassy Street ‘Malcolm X Ave’

October 14, 2018 at 9:40 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Authorities in Turkey’s capital, Ankara, have renamed the street where the new U.S. embassy is being built “Malcolm X Avenue,” after the civil rights leader, the Guardian reports.

“The move coincides with a period of fraught relations between Turkey and the US and comes after other politically charged name changes to streets in Ankara.”

Filed Under: Foreign Affairs Tagged With: Turkey

Deal Paves Way for Pastor’s Release from Turkey

October 11, 2018 at 1:57 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The White House expects North Carolina pastor Andrew Brunson to be released by the Turkish government and returned to the U.S. in coming days, two years after he was detained,” NBC News reports.

“Under an agreement senior Trump administration officials recently reached with Turkey, Brunson is supposed to be released after certain charges against him are dropped at his next court hearing, currently scheduled for Friday.”

Filed Under: Foreign Affairs Tagged With: Turkey

Trump Told Allies Erdogan ‘Does Things the Right Way’

July 16, 2018 at 10:38 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Foreign policy analyst Ian Bremmer tells CBS News that backstage at the NATO meeting there were elements that were even more eyebrow-raising than reports have suggested.

Said Bremmer: “Trump was very frustrated; he wasn’t getting commitments from other leaders to spend more. Many of them said, ‘Well, we have to ask our parliaments. We have a process; we can’t just tell you we’re going to spend more, we have a legal process.’ Trump turns around to the Turkish president, Recep Erdogan, and says, ‘Except for Erdogan over here. He does things the right way,’ and then actually fist-bumps the Turkish president.”

“It was a startling gesture of support for the increasingly authoritarian Turkish leader, who recently won another term and is widely expected to continue consolidating his power.”

Filed Under: Foreign Affairs Tagged With: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey

Erdogan Claims Victory In Turkey

June 24, 2018 at 5:32 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey claimed victory on Sunday in the country’s presidential election, sending tremors that will be felt not just in Turkey but in Western and regional capitals — if it holds up,” the New York Times reports.

“The official results showed him with just under 53 percent of the vote, enough to spare him from going to a second round against his nearest challenger, Muharrem Ince.”

BBC: “Under Turkey’s new constitution, due to come into force after the election, the president will hold considerable power.”

Filed Under: Foreign Elections Tagged With: Turkey

Turkey Purges 4,000 Officials and Blocks Wikipedia

April 30, 2017 at 4:25 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The Turkish government expanded its crackdown on dissent and free expression over the weekend, purging nearly 4,000 more public officials, blocking access to Wikipedia and banning television matchmaking shows,” the New York Times reports.

“The crackdown has also affected leftists, liberals and members of the secular opposition across most sections of public life, many of whom have long voiced their opposition to the Gulen movement. Those in jail or out of a job include academics, public transport employees, teachers and at least 120 journalists — more than in any other country in the world.”

Filed Under: Foreign Affairs Tagged With: Turkey

Trump Called Erdogan to Congratulate Him

April 17, 2017 at 9:06 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Trump “called to congratulate Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday after a referendum greatly expanding his powers… despite a more circumspect State Department response to Sunday’s vote, which international election observers declared unfair,” the Washington Post reports.

Filed Under: Foreign Affairs Tagged With: Turkey

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About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

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