World


Trump’s T BY LISA DAFTARI


urkey is a paradox wrapped in a nato flag. it straddles East and West yet refuses to fully com- mit to either.


Under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Tur-


key has perfected geopolitical opportunism, leveraging crises from Syria to Gaza to extract maximum advantage while projecting itself as indispensable to both Washington and Moscow.


As President Donald Trump navigates this precarious relationship, his balancing act with Erdogan may deter- mine whether Turkey remains a problematic NATO ally or becomes an outright adversary working against American interests and masquerading as a mediator.


Erdogan’s Turkey has long pursued what can best be described as an “equal opportunity opportunism.”


On one hand, Ankara is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, housing key American assets like Incirlik Air Base, which supports U.S. operations in the Middle East.


On the other hand, he it maintains deep defense and it nta


energy ties with Russia and has been courting Tehran and Doha for years.


In Erdogan’s words, “There is no equation without Tur- key” — a statement that fi ttingly summarizes his ambitions to transform Turkey into the indispensable middleman in every major regional dispute.


Nowhere is that ambition clearer than in Gaza.


Turkey’s moves represent a calculated bid to extend its sphere of infl uence under the banner of humanitarian concern, even as Erdogan positions himself as a champion of Hamas, a group designated as a terrorist organization by both the United States and Israel.


Following Trump’s October peace conference at Sharm el-Sheikh, which placed Erdogan prominently among par-


Middle East Gamble


By appealing to President Erdogan’s ego, Trump has turned Turkey into a tool of U.S. diplomacy.


ticipating leaders, Turkey pledged to join a “task force” that would monitor ceasefi re implementation and take part in rebuilding Gaza’s shattered infrastructure.


The arrangement, in theory, allows Ankara to play a constructive role. But Erdogan’s rhetoric has raised alarms in Jerusalem and Washington.


He has repeatedly accused Israel of “genocide,” urged sanctions and


arms embargoes, and


framed Turkey’s participation as a moral test for the Islamic world.


For Erdogan, Gaza is not just a humanitarian cause; it is a stage upon which Turkey its


can leadership


reassert over


the Sunni Muslim world and outma- neuver Arab pow- ers like Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Erdogan


softened his


has scathing recently, tone


toward Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu


hinting


at “ongoing discussions” over Turkey’s proposed involvement in postwar Gaza.


This cautious moderation suggests that, even amid public condemnation, Ankara is cali- brating its message to pre- serve its talk channel with Trump, who is still willing to engage Erdogan diplo- matically.


Trump’s decision


to keep Erdogan close refl ects a hard-nosed realism that previous administrations lacked.


While many in Washing- ton’s foreign policy estab- lishment


consider Erdo- gan unreliable, the Trump


Turkey pledged to join a “task force” that would monitor ceasefi re implementation and take part in rebuilding Gaza’s shattered infrastructure.


56 NEWSMAX | DECEMBER 2025


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