Former U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton called on NATO to exclude Turkey from the alliance and support its opposition parties, accusing Ankara of behaving as a non-ally.
In a Wall Street Journal article, Bolton criticized Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for "divisive and dangerous" activities and "belligerent regional policies."
Accusing Erdogan of "subverting key elements of Turkiye’s post-Ottoman secular constitution to repeatedly compromising its financial system and economic stability,” Bolton said that the country is a NATO member state “but it isn’t acting like an ally”.
He called on the West to take "bold action to help ensure his domestic opposition gets a fair shake in upcoming presidential elections” this year, adding that “Turkish voters will have a chance to take their country”.
Despite acknowledging that NATO’s "founding charter doesn’t provide for expulsion or suspension," Bolton noted that the alliance should "put Ankara’s membership on the chopping block” and to “make clear that Turkiye’s failure to conduct free and fair elections would be the final trigger in deciding whether to revoke its NATO membership." Meanwhile, Western countries could prevent election interference by "encouraging increased international monitoring and media reporting” on it.
Calling Erdogan's foreign policy "treacherous," Bolton noted that the Turkish president harbors "neo-Ottoman" aspirations to restore Turkish influence in the region through "effort to establish Turkish hegemony over northern Syria amid the country’s civil war."
Despite Turkey's reconciliation with Israel last year and its efforts to develop those ties, Bolton said Erdogan has a "consistent antagonism toward Israel” which “reflects his broader hegemonic designs in the Middle East”.
He called Turkey's provision of drones to Ukraine a publicity stunt to promote Turkish drones, which should not downplay its constant threats elsewhere. One such threat, he said, is Ankara's demands on Sweden and Finland, which Bolton called "an anti-Kurdish crusade."
