Foundation for Defense of Democracies

With the US in the midst of an intense diplomatic push to prevent a war between Israel and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon, Turkey has also waded into the mix.

While it's still unclear what Turkey is looking to achieve should a conflict erupt, it looks like a policy is taking shape, especially after Ankara followed up on Hezbollah's threats to Cyprus with its own "warning."

We've just seen consecutive visits to the US by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin, with both officials discussing a series of issues - from the wars in Gaza and Ukraine to trade and investments - with the White House, the State Department and Congress.

Whatever the result of the US elections in November this year, relations between Washington and Athens will remain strong, US Assistant Secretary for Energy Resources Geoffrey Pyatt said during a group discussion at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) think tank in Washington, DC on Monday.

This new year finds Washington in a bind over how to effectively engage with Turkey, a trend we've documented for at least half a decade. The tug of war over Sweden and F16s, and Ankara's stance on the Arab-Israeli conflict, are the latest examples of this.

Is it time to reconsider Turkey's NATO membership? With the alliance having to constantly grapple with an uncooperative and at times even combative Turkish leader in President Erdogan, the question is as timely as ever.

Expert Jonathan Schanzer, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies' Senior Vice President for Research, joins Thanos Davelis to look into the Supreme Court decision this week that the Turkish state-owned Halkbank remains subject to criminal prosecution in US courts for conspiring to evade US sanctions against Iran.

About a week ago the US imposed sanctions on Turkish entities it said violated US export controls and helped Russia's war effort.

Greek authorities foiled an Iranian-backed terrorist attack on Jews and Israelis in Athens earlier this week with Mossad's assistance, which helped identify the connection between the local terror cell in Greece and Iran's broader global terror operations.

Dr. Aykan Erdemir, a former member of the Turkish parliament from 2011 to 2015, has joined the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) as a non-resident fellow, the foundation announced in a written statement on June 9.