Former Pentagon official Michael Rubin, Ph.D. in history, has called for Turkey to be recognized as a sponsor of terrorism. In his column for 19FortyFive, Rubin listed the main reasons why NATO members should stop cooperating with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

In particular, according to Rubin, Erdogan is using Sweden's desire to join NATO as an opportunity not only to humiliate that state, but also to squeeze funding out of it.

By constantly forcing Swedish politicians into submission and servility, Erdogan is signaling to his followers not only within Turkey but also among the significant diaspora in Europe that democracies are weak and unprincipled, while his approach to strong government can bring greatness, Rubin believes.

In addition, Rubin advised NATO countries not to go along with Erdoğan's demands for extradition to Ankara of individuals believed by Turkish security forces to be involved in terrorist activities. Rubin believes that the response to this demand should be a similar list of Turkish citizens compiled based on very realistic evidence of acts of terrorism. In particular, Rubin accused the incumbent Turkish president of ties to the radical Hamas movement, ISIS and former Somali top officials.

NATO should respond to Erdogan's antics by compiling lists of Turkish radicals for extradition or imprisonment. If Erdogan refuses to comply with these standards, every NATO member should declare Turkey a sponsor of terrorism under its national laws, applying any legislative sanctions against that country, Rubin concluded.