Reckoning with Turkey's Transformation - Center for Security Policy

The Middle East is in flames. For years, one of that region’s principal arsonists has been a Turkish Islamist politician by the name of Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Yesterday, Turkish voters elected Erdogan to become their next president. That step seems certain to complete the transformation of Turkey from a pro-Western, secular Muslim democracy into a shariah-adherent autocracy, repressive at home and fully aligned with the West’s enemies.

President Obama used to claim that Recep Erdogan was his closest friend among foreign leaders. Now, as the Turks’ long-time prime minister consolidates power as their president, we better be considering how to effect a transformation of our own. The pretense that Turkey is a reliable NATO ally will become untenable, and we are going to have to stop treating it as one.