EU-DIGEST: US - Turkey Relations: Pres. Trump’s deafening silence on Turkey dictatorship: Are business interests muzzling POTUS?

4/18/17

US - Turkey Relations: Pres. Trump’s deafening silence on Turkey dictatorship: Are business interests muzzling POTUS? - by Jordan Schachtel

Birds of a feather flock together

Are President Trump’s business ties to Istanbul stopping him from reprimanding the Turkish president for his authoritarian power grab?

On Monday, Trump congratulated Turkish dictator Recep Tayyip Erdogan for a referendum victory (contested as undemocratic by multiple international monitoring organizations) that boosted his unilateral authority over his country.

Further, “[T]he leaders agreed on the importance of holding Syrian President Bashar al-Assad accountable,” a readout of his call with Erdogan said. “President Trump and President Erdogan also discussed the counter-ISIS campaign and the need to cooperate against all groups that use terrorism to achieve their ends,” the statement concluded.

Over the past several months, Turkey has continued to move in the direction of becoming a full-blown Islamist tyranny.

President Erdogan, whose AKP party continues to push for an Islamist ideology that rejects Turkey’s founding as a secular country, has continued to cozy up with terror advocates like the Muslim Brotherhood and its subgroup Hamas. Some have even alleged that top officials in Ankara are responsible for financing operations by the Islamic State terror group.

Erdogan has pushed a vicious crackdown of any type of dissent. After Erdogan said that members of a rogue party attempted a military coup, the authoritarian leader has rounded up tens of thousands of military officials, journalists, academics, students, and others who he has alleged are part of a movement that is attempting to overthrow his seat of power.

But this isn’t exactly a new problem. Under Erdogan, Turkey has, year after year, become less free and more authoritarian, according to Freedom House.

So why hasn’t President Donald Trump called Turkey out for its gross violations of basic human rights? Is it simply because he wants to hold together the NATO alliance, or are there more selfish and financial motives at play?

One explanation points to his notable business interests there.

The president has licensed his name to a towering development in Istanbul. The agreement makes him an estimated $1 to 5 million per year, according to reports. Trump even admitted in 2015 that he has a “conflict of interest” when it comes to Turkey.

“I have a little conflict of interest ’because I have a major, major building in Istanbul. It’s called Trump Towers. Two towers, instead of one. Not the usual one, it’s two. And I’ve gotten to know Turkey very well,” the president said in a December 2015 radio interview describing his Istanbul property.

And on social media, Trump has repeatedly tweeted excitedly about his property there, and his love for Istanbul.

But this isn’t exactly a new problem. Under Erdogan, Turkey has, year after year, become less free and more authoritarian, according to Freedom House. - See more at: https://www.conservativereview.com/commentary/2017/04/pres-trumps-deafening-silence-on-turkey-dictatorship-are-business-interests-muzzling-potus#sthash.IP3H104r.dpuf