Don’t lose the plot
How to manage relations with NATO’s most awkward member
IT IS hard to dissuade people from believing conspiracy theories, especially when there really has been a conspiracy. The attempted coup in Turkey on July 15th involved thousands of members of the armed forces. Encouraged by their government, many Turks seem to believe that the West—in particular America—had a hand in it. Relations have soured and Turkey has taken to demanding that Western countries demonstrate they are on its side. Turkey is a NATO ally and, notwithstanding a spate of recent terrorist attacks, a bastion of relative stability in a region racked by war. Western countries want to keep it that way. This week America’s vice-president, Joe Biden, visited Ankara as a gesture of goodwill. Beyond his offer of soothing words (see article), what more should the West do?
This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “Don’t lose the plot”
From the August 27th 2016 edition
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