Turkey’s turn against NATO

New survey data from Turkey suggests that the country is turning sharply against NATO, though more out of nationalism than Islamism. The Wall Street Journal‘s Emerging Europe blog looks at the numbers: Whereas 67% of Turks said they supported NATO in 2004, last year that figure was 41%. Rubbing salt into the wound, Turks continue ...

By , a professor at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies.

New survey data from Turkey suggests that the country is turning sharply against NATO, though more out of nationalism than Islamism. The Wall Street Journal's Emerging Europe blog looks at the numbers:

New survey data from Turkey suggests that the country is turning sharply against NATO, though more out of nationalism than Islamism. The Wall Street Journal‘s Emerging Europe blog looks at the numbers:

Whereas 67% of Turks said they supported NATO in 2004, last year that figure was 41%. Rubbing salt into the wound, Turks continue to rank among the countries most willing to support the use of their military to intervene abroad—including to ensure oil supplies, something Mr. Erdogan accused the Western coalition of trying to do in Libya.

Yet, according to the survey data, Turks have been among the least willing among the 12 countries surveyed to send their military to the aid of a fellow NATO member under attack – the original raison d’etre of NATO.

One of the real strategic costs of the decision to force the Libya operation into the NATO framework may be an acceleration of this trend.

David Bosco is a professor at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies. He is the author of The Poseidon Project: The Struggle to Govern the World’s Oceans. Twitter: @multilateralist

More from Foreign Policy

Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.
Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.

Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America

The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.

Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.
Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.

The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense

If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.

Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.

Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War

Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.

An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.
An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.

How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests

And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.