The Turkey we once knew no longer exists. Despite NATO objections and US warnings, Ankara acquired the advanced S-400 anti-aircraft system from Russia. In response, Washington canceled Turkish participation in the F-35 program. In the latest episode of this saga, a Turkish court sentenced a US Consulate employee to almost nine years in prison for aiding the Gülen movement. President Erdoğan has behaved like a bully toward the EU, weaponizing Muslim refugees and migrants. He has also issued direct threats to Greece and regularly antagonizes Israel.  

On July 10, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declared that Istanbul’s famed Hagia Sophia, which was a Christian cathedral for centuries, then a mosque, and is now a museum, will be converted back into a mosque. This move was not motivated by religious fervor. It was a calculated political act that conforms to Erdoğan’s broader agenda.