Values Alignment Analysis
- Systematic marginalization of democratic opposition under Erdoğan
- Mass purges of judiciary, military, and civil society
- Jailing of journalists and silencing of critical media
- Support for extremist organizations in Syria and Libya
- Documented violations of sovereign airspace of fellow NATO allies
Democratic Regression
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has taken the country down an increasingly authoritarian path. He has systematically marginalized domestic opposition, silenced or co-opted critical media outlets, purged independent judges and replaced them with party loyalists, and jailed scores of journalists.
As 54 U.S. Senators wrote to President Biden in February 2021, Turkey’s trajectory represents a fundamental departure from the democratic values that underpin the NATO alliance.
Terrorism Facilitation
Multiple U.S. officials have documented Turkey’s support for extremist organizations. As Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence, stated: “Erdoğan has been assisting ISIS and other jihadists establishing the so-called Islamic Caliphate. He’s a radical Islamist megalomaniac whose goal is to establish an Islamist Caliphate with himself as the Caliph.”
Turkey’s use of former ISIS and Al-Qaeda-linked militants as proxy forces in Syria and Libya represents a direct contradiction of NATO’s counter-terrorism mission.
Aggression Against NATO Allies
Turkey has repeatedly violated the sovereign airspace of Greece, a fellow NATO ally, using U.S.-provided F-16 jets. Turkey has illegally occupied parts of the Republic of Cyprus, harassed ships in the Aegean Sea, and threatened to invade both Greece and Israel.
As 22 Members of Congress wrote to President Trump in May 2025: “This behavior is unacceptable for a NATO ally and poses a continuous threat to the security of a vital European partner.”
Human Rights Record
The post-2016 purges in Turkey affected hundreds of thousands of individuals across the military, judiciary, education, and civil service. Freedom of press, freedom of assembly, and judicial independence have been systematically curtailed. These developments place Turkey in direct conflict with the principles outlined in Article 2 of the North Atlantic Treaty.