Turkey and NATO: What Now, What Next?

Opening Remarks

• Kadri Tastan, Senior Fellow, The German Marshall Fund of the United States

Discussants

• Ian Lesser, Vice President and Executive Director (Brussels), The German Marshall Fund of the United States
• Jan Techau, Director of the Europe Program and Senior Fellow, The German Marshall Fund of the United States
• Martin Quencez, Fellow and Deputy Director (Paris), The German Marshall Fund of the United States
• Özgür Ünlühisarcıklı, Director of the Ankara Office, The German Marshall Fund of the United States

Moderator

• Kristine Berzina, Senior Fellow, Alliance for Securing Democracy, The German Marshall Fund of the United States

70 years after its foundation, NATO’s future is being widely debated including by top leaders. Emmanuel Macron, who has been the champion for European strategic autonomy, recently argued that NATO is in the throes of “brain death” with the claim that “the U.S., under President Trump, has turned its back on the European allies.” President Trump never misses an opportunity to criticize European allies for not sharing enough burden, but his strongest statement on the issue was his claim that “NATO is obsolete because it was designed many, many years ago.” Meanwhile, Turkey’s acquisition of the S-400 system from Russia and the recent incursion into North East Syria have raised concerns in Europe and the U.S. about Turkey’s commitment to NATO. At the same time Ankara is expressing frustration with the lack of NATO Members' solidarity with Turkey in its fight against terrorism. Are these approaches parallel with the facts on the ground? What are the core reasons behind these criticisms towards NATO? What is really missing in the relationship? Is NATO “brain-dead”?

This roundtable discussion is part of a series of events and analyses organized as part of the GMF-TOBB Fellowship on Turkey, Europe, and Global Issues, launched by GMF in partnership with the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) in 2017.

Please note that this event is invitation-only. The discussion will be under the Chatham House rule. If you have any questions, please contact Jorge Felix at [email protected].