U.S. and Turkey Escalate Feud Over Russian Missile System

Source:Foreign Policy Date:03Apr2019

S-400 tensions between Turkey and USA will trigger the next Father Brunson affair in the financial markets.

The news comes days after Turkish voters delivered a stinging political rebuke to Erdogan in local elections that saw his party lose control of major cities including the capital, Ankara, and possibly Istanbul, Erdogan’s home city.

“Erdogan’s goal seems to be creating external enemies whom he can blame for the country’s misfortunes,” including Turkey’s faltering economy, said Richard Aboulafia, an analyst with the Teal Group, an aerospace and defense consulting firm.

Erdogan also sees the S-400 system—which is incompatible with NATO systems—as critical for his own survival following the botched coup attempt against him in 2016, which included elements of the Turkish military. “Having witnessed how putschist pilots dominated the Turkish airspace during the 2016 failed coup attempt, Erdogan wants the S-400s first and foremost for his own security,” Erdemir said.