Turkish President Recep Erdogan has every reason to be pleased with his trip to Washington. He flew right into the storm, in the heart of the storm. In the American Congress, both Democrats and Republicans hate him. As a sign of their hatred, they even adopted a resolution on the Armenian tragedy of 1915, calling it genocide. They recalled, it’s called, they did not have time to pass 100 years. They hate him for the stiffness with which he drove the Kurdish militants from the borders of Turkey, and for the S-400. Together with President Putin, Erdogan takes the place of the most unloved world leader in the eyes of the American Congress.
But despite such difficult initial conditions, the trip went well. President Trump decided to play the role of a “good cop” and accepted Erdogan as a brother. “Venerable, respected leader”, “our long-standing permanent ally” - this is how he characterized the Turkish president. But the “evil policeman” was not forgotten: the most vicious (in relation to Turkey) Republican senators were invited to a meeting with Erdogan, and they hissed ad libitum. You may not be surprised that senators, especially those who hate Erdogan, at the same time hate both Putin and Russia. It seems that the policies of Turkey and Russia are very different, but the US Congress does not really separate them.
Erdogan expected the worst - he took with him a daring letter sent to him by Trump at the height of the confrontation in northern Syria. In this letter, Trump wrote to him: "Don't be a fool, don't puff out your cheeks." The letter was not only sent, but also immediately leaked to the press. Erdogan then said that he threw it into the ballot box, but this time he brought a letter with him - to return it to the sender. The White House lowered this situation on the brakes without reacting in any way.
Trump has come to terms with all the actions of Erdogan - and with the purchase of the Russian air defense system, and with the expulsion of Kurdish militants. Difficulties in relations with Turkey were attributed to previous President Barack Obama, who “was a complete disaster,” according to Trump. Turkey and the United States will try to resolve the difficulties, and Turkey will be able to maintain the S-400, Trump said. True, senators and generals have no idea how this can be done - the technology is very different for Russian and American technology, but there would be a desire, and technical problems are solvable.
So Erdogan managed to insist on his own, and the attempts of the enemies of Turkey to lead to the breakdown of Ankara with Washington failed.
Erdogan’s opponents wanted him to abandon the S-400. But he clearly and firmly stated that this was impossible. Such a step would spoil relations between Russia and Turkey, and friendship with Russia is extremely important for Turkey. “He is cozy up to Russia,” Senator Lindsey Graham hissed viciously, the new incarnation of the late McCain. Trump and Erdogan announced their readiness to resolve the problems together, so that the Turks would have both the latest American aircraft and the new Russian defense.
It is not at all our job to evaluate American politicians, and yet the feeling remains that President Trump cares about the United States, and Congressmen care about anything but their country. Give them eternal friendship with the Kurds and eternal enmity with Russia. It was felt that their hatred of their own president was stronger than all feelings — and we are talking about senators from his party, about Republicans. Democrats are not inferior to them in this.
In the background of Erdogan’s visit, there was the Impeachment show, and it once again reminded the audience that Trump could say anything he wanted, but he could do little through the hostile congress (and Turkey). Erdogan acted correctly that he did not make concessions, because Trump’s ability to insist on his own is extremely limited. The superpower has blocked itself - neither President Trump, nor his opponents can pursue a consistent policy in the world. So, tough and decisive leaders of Eurasia - Erdogan, Putin, Xi - can agree among themselves.
The author’s point of view may not coincide with the position of the publisher.