Recently, Erdogan of Turkey has frequently appeared in international reports, which has attracted the attention of all parties. He not only participated in the SCO summit led by China and Russia for the first time as a "special guest" and delivered an important speech, but also refused a request to meet with Biden during his visit to the United States, showing a tough attitude. These moves make one wonder if Turkey, a veteran member of NATO, is distancing itself from its allies in the West and moving closer to its rivals in the East
In fact, Erdogan has always been an outspoken leader who is not afraid of power. When U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Turkey of having human rights problems, he retorted that the U.S. should "look in the mirror before anyone else." When the EU asked him to report on his participation in the SCO summit, he replied that Turkey's participation in the SCO summit was Turkey's freedom and that the EU had no right to interfere. When he came to the United States to attend the United Nations General Assembly, he told ** that there was no need for him to meet Biden, because his purpose was to participate in the UN General Assembly, not to negotiate with the United States.
There are deep historical and practical reasons why Erdogan is so tough on the United States and Biden. In 2016, there was an attempted military coup in Turkey that attempted to overthrow Erdogan** and even threatened Erdogan's life. Thanks to Russia's timely intelligence, Erdogan was able to escape. After the coup d'état was quelled, Erdogan carried out a large-scale purge of the army and **. Years later, Turkish intelligence revealed that Biden, then the deputy of the United States, was behind the coup. This has left Erdogan and Biden with an indissoluble feud. After Biden was elected to the United States, Erdogan also refused to congratulate him, but expressed his gratitude to Biden's rival Trump.
In addition to historical grievances, there are also real contradictions between Turkey and the United States. Due to the decline in trust in the United States, Erdogan purchased S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems from Russia to protect Turkey's security. But this made the United States very dissatisfied, not only canceled the plan to send F-35 fighters to Turkey, but even confiscated the deposit that Turkey had already paid. Turkey, for its part, did not give in, but continued to buy a second batch of S-400s from Russia and negotiated with Russia on the purchase of fighters. In the end, the United States can only compromise.
On international affairs, Turkey also differs from the position of the United States. After the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the United States led Western countries to impose a series of sanctions on Russia and hoped that other countries would follow suit. But instead of joining the sanctions, Turkey said it would be willing to take over and strengthen cooperation with Russia if Western companies withdrew from the Russian market. On the issue of Sweden and Finland's application for NATO, Turkey did not save face for the United States, but put forward its own conditions, which made Biden very angry.
To sum up, Erdogan's tough move reflects the deep-seated differences and mistrust between Turkey and the United States. Erdogan also did not take the United States seriously, preferring to cooperate with the countries of the East. He also recently announced that joining the SCO is Turkey's goal, which is undoubtedly a provocation to the West. Erdogan's "alternative" style makes him seem out of place in NATO, and it also makes him a special presence in Asia and the Muslim world.