How to lose US public opinion in 10 minutes?

In the same hours President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was walking out of a relatively positive sit-down with EU leaders Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels, a harsh resolution to condemn the violence of Erdoğan's security personnel against protestors last week in Washington was voted in at the Foreign Affairs Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives. One step forward, two steps back. 

Turkey's relations with the West in the last five years - if not more - have been no more than a crisis management on different fronts. Turkish diplomacy has occasionally found itself exhausting its time and efforts in Western capitals to contain image-related problems deriving from a substantial machismo in Ankara's rhetoric. 

Although Erdoğan's first encounter with U.S. President Donald Trump went rather smoothly despite the shadow of Trump's decision to send heavy weapons to the People's Protection Units (YPG), which is declared as a branch of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) by Ankara. Instead of burning the bridges, Turkey made a strong case to secure an upper hand in post-Raqqa Syria and get the Trump administration on board for its fight against the PKK. The Turkish concerns were endorsed by Trump, who publicly said he was ready to send some military equipment to assist Ankara. I learned this week from a high level Turkish defense official that Turkey has made no new requests for American military equipment, which proved that the statement by Trump was rather a demonstration of good will. 

That could have been it and Erdoğan's delegation might have left Washington without too much drama if Turkish security details were not involved in a brawl in front of the Turkish Ambassador's residence in Sheridan Circle. A footage showing...