Howard Eissenstat

Agree.. My point was more on pulling in Nato card to chastise Turkey in op-eds without reflecting on how rest of Nato sees US today and why most of Nato is worried but calm on s400s

I think both Obama and Trump administrations have been extremely complacent in thinking that TR was not serious in purchasing a non-NATO alternative to Patriots. The Erdoğan administration in its turn is extremely complacent in thinking that Trump can save us from sanctions.

this seems like a key point: washington didnt think ankara would actually do it, ankara interpreted this as evidence washington didnt care.

S-400 decision came in December 2017, which means it was discussed amongst the nat sec elites a bit earlier, and in line w/ TR-RU entente in Syria to oppose the US. NATO has little to do with it, if anything. NATO will be undermined as an outcome but is not a variable as an input

The first report, in fact, came after the RTE apology. So it is an outgrowth of Turkey’s embrace of Russia as an enabler of its regional interests; therefore underscoring how TR is trying to compartmentalize its FP. RU in one box. US in another. NATO in another.

TR can only do this b/c it is so confident in its NATO membership. So, in fact, it is quite the opposite of a lack of faith in NATO. IT is taking the organization for granted.

Because for NATO, question of Turkey is not merely incirlik or US opps in Mena.. From Balkans to Baltics to Black sea to Agean to counterterrorim to migration.. TR is still the difficult but sine qua non member

This is a key point often glossed over in US discussions about Turkey. S400 issue is also a problem in terms of collective European defence and causes major issues for EU member states that can't just hope for Turkey to go away in the way the US sometimes seems to hanker after

often ignored in overall discussions.. For us in N Europe and E Europe, Russia is a real and very serious threat.. For our peers in DC, seems China, Iran ranks higher.. And I often sense Nato is simply perceived through US policy lense, when majority of Nato worry on US