![]() ![]() Even though the talks eventually, in the words of Russian President Vladimir Putin, hit a “dead end,” it’s a weighty moment for Turkey. We begin discussing the Ukraine-Russia peace talks, which are taking place in Istanbul on the eve of my visit. He quickly reemerges with two Coke Zeros. I begin to thumb coffee table books highlighting Turkey’s impressive landscapes as Flake ducks into a partially camouflaged door in the wall. ![]() ![]() They flank a marble fireplace opposite a seating area. I enter a dated yet elegant oval office punctuated by the Turkish and American flags. Think red phones, but for the 21st century. My cellphone is placed far away from the SCIF, or “sensitive compartmented information facility,” which is pentagon-speak for an area secure enough to send and receive classified information. Embassy, my passport needs to be cleared. model has to work to remain persuasive.įreedom and democracy, he says, are always hills worth dying on - from Bunker Hill in Boston to Mariupol in Ukraine - but the true test is sustaining the very causes which call forth our “last full measure of devotion.”īefore we formally sit down in Flake’s office at the U.S. The United States, Flake says, must start at home by exemplifying the best that representative government has to offer. ![]() And as I shadowed him through the back boulevards of Ankara for the better part of two days, it became apparent that America’s man in Turkey also appreciates the high stakes: nothing less than regional and global stability hang in the balance. persuade Turkey - a country with so many commercial and cultural ties in the East - to remain committed to democracy in the long run?įlake believes there are answers. There’s a question I’ve starred: How will the U.S. Turkey’s foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, with whom Flake huddled during our visit, announced the implementation of the Montreux Convention in late February, at a time when many were still cautiously calling the war an “invasion” or “conflict.” He stated: “It is not a couple of air strikes now, the situation in Ukraine is officially a war.”Īs we talk, I glance down at my notes. This latter move may yet prove central in restricting certain Russian naval vessels from bringing reinforcements to the fight in Ukraine. He also underscores how Turkey is handling the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, facilitating peace talks and enforcing the little-known 1936 Montreux Convention, which empowers Turkey during war time to limit naval access to the Black Sea through the country’s Dardanelles and Bosporus straits. If you need evidence, he says, look no further than the two Turkish bases housing U.S. Embassy in Turkeyīut it would be a mistake, Flake contends, to view Turkey as anything other than a vital ally to the United States. A failed coup attempt in 2016 led to a government crackdown against members of the press and judiciary in particular.Īydin Kayikci, Photo courtesy of the U.S. When I ask Flake about this directly, he assures me Turkey’s elections and institutions “remain strong.” And yet, he’s not shy to point out that there are nearly as many journalists jailed in Turkey as there are in China. That’s why foreign policy pencil-chewers are flagging warning signs that Turkey’s little “d” democratic institutions are slipping. Turkey is now home to some 3.6 million Syrian refugees.Īs the rare NATO-allied democracy in the region, Turkey is of high importance to the United States. To the country’s east is nuclear aspirant Iran, and across the Black Sea are Ukraine and Russia. To Turkey’s south are war-torn Iraq and Syria. Embassy in Ankara, and what immediately stands out is Turkey’s bruiser of a neighborhood. Glance at a map of the region, as I did upon entering the U.S. What Jeff Flake told a Senate panel considering his nomination as U.S. ![]()
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