I have to admit that there are indeed many countries in the world that give the United States a headache, but if you want to ask which US allies make the United States feel more difficult, then Turkey must be on the list.
As a member of NATO and a nominal ally of the United States, Turkey has repeatedly contradicted the White House, such as opposing Sweden's accession to NATO, which has hindered the process of the United States' intention to promote NATO's rapid eastward expansion. Another example is Turkey's refusal to impose sanctions on Russia and expand cooperation with Russia, despite US warnings and pressure.
At present, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has broken out, and almost all Western countries led by the United States have chosen to support Israel and condemn Hamas, but Turkey, on the contrary, has not only openly criticized Israel, but also expressed its support for Hamas, which has greatly dissatisfied the United States.
More importantly, when the Palestinian-Israeli conflict escalated, Turkey also launched fierce raids on the armed Kurds in Syria, Iraq and other places, beheading many of the group, indirectly affecting and striking at the US military presence and influence in Syria and Iraq.
In response, the United States suddenly drew 2 red lines for the "thorn" Turkey.
Red Line One, the United States demands that Turkey stop supporting Hamas.
On the 1st, the U.S. "Wall Street" reported that Biden ** is asking Turkey to stop supporting Hamas, and pointed out that in the past 10 years, the United States has imposed extensive sanctions on Hamas and its funders, but Turkey still allows Hamas-related companies and companies to conduct business within its borders.
In response, U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Nelson said during a visit to Turkey on November 29 that "it would be very bad" if any future Hamas attacks were related to fundraising or assistance carried out in Turkey.
The implication is that Turkey has been in contact with or cooperated with Hamas for many years, and the United States knows this very well, and it will not care about what happened in the past, but if the next attack launched by Hamas is related to Turkey, then the United States will not remain indifferent and will not rule out the possibility of launching sanctions against Turkey.
Therefore, to a certain extent, the United States' demand for Turkey to stop supporting Hamas can be seen as a "red line" drawn by the White House for Erdogan**, and if Turkey crosses it, US-Turkish relations may deteriorate further.
In addition, in addition to "drawing a red line" for Turkey on the Palestinian-Israeli issue, the United States has also drawn a second red line for Erdogan.
Red line two, the United States demanded that Turkey stop developing ** cooperation with Russia.
The White House said that on the Russian issue, the United States is taking measures to restrict Russian exports, but Turkey has seen a significant increase in cooperation with Russia in the past year, and the United States believes that Turkey is "helping Russia evade sanctions" and "facilitating the transportation of military equipment" for Russia, and the United States will impose a series of sanctions on some Turkish companies and individuals.
I have to say that compared with the Palestinian-Israeli issue, the "hat" that the United States has put on Turkey on the situation between Russia and Ukraine is obviously greater, and the slightest carelessness may make Turkey stand on the opposite side of the United States and the West. After all, the "help Russia circumvent sanctions and transport equipment" proposed by the United States is not an ordinary accusation.
But at present, Turkey's Erdogan has not made any response to the two "red lines" drawn by the United States, and behind this "loss of voice", the US-Turkey relationship has ushered in more unknowns.
In this regard, let's talk about two superficial views.
1. Can't bear it? This time, the United States may have to take Turkey seriously.
The two red lines drawn by the United States this time not only put a "big hat" on Turkey, but also directly pointed out that Turkey is "working against the United States" and the West, which highlights Turkey's "unsociability" and at the same time, it is estimated that it also has the intention of taking the opportunity to provoke contradictions between other Western countries and Turkey.
However, as a nominal ally, the United States has not directly torn its face, and how US-Turkish relations will develop in the future depends on how Erdogan responds.
2. What is more surprising is that whether it is Turkey's cooperation with Russia or Turkey's support for Hamas, it is obviously not a recent occurrence, and it is obviously not a coincidence that the United States has not issued a warning for a long time, but it is obviously not a coincidence that it has drawn a red line at this time.
It cannot be ruled out that Turkey's recent continuous attacks on Kurdish forces and its confrontation with the United States in the Palestinian-Israeli situation have ignited the anger of the United States and prompted it to launch a counterattack.
After all, there are some things behind Turkey's frequent contradictions with the United States, such as seeking the United States to export F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, lifting some sanctions against Turkey, and so on.
In short, there are still many variables in US-Turkish relations, and let's see what Erdogan will do.