The September 25 White House meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Donald Trump officially marks a fundamental shift in US-Turkey relations, where military cooperation and commercial transactions have replaced democratic values as the cornerstone of the bilateral partnership. This pragmatic recalibration signals Washington’s acceptance of Turkey’s authoritarian trajectory for strategic and economic benefits.
According to Murat Yetkin’s analysis in YetkinReport, this carefully orchestrated Erdogan-Trump reconciliation shows that “Turkey’s democratic progress no longer holds importance in US eyes, with relations now limited to what can be given and taken militarily and commercially.” Yetkin characterizes this as the beginning of “Cold War 2.0 criteria,” where strategic considerations override democratic principles in regional partnerships.
The substance of the meeting underscored this transactional approach. Defense deals dominated discussions, including F-35 and F-16 fighter jets, while energy agreements worth billions were announced. Turkey committed to purchasing US liquefied natural gas through intermediary companies, potentially reducing Russian energy imports by 40%. Turkish Airlines’ Boeing purchases and nuclear energy cooperation further sweetened the commercial package.
Ambassador Tom Barrack, architect of the rapprochement, crystallized this new framework when he stated that Trump “admires everything Turkey has done for us and NATO,” defining legitimacy purely through the lens of strategic utility rather than democratic governance.
Even the surprise discussion about reopening the Halki Seminary appeared transactional, with Erdogan linking it to the Halkbank sanctions case resolution. Trump’s effusive praise for Erdogan, despite Turkey’s democratic backsliding, sends a clear message: in this new era of great power competition, strategic assets and commercial opportunities trump democratic values in determining America’s partnerships.
Photo: YetkinReport