Turkey Plays Down U.S. Suggestions of NATO Exit After Failed Coup
- Alliance still needs Turkey for bases and Black Sea access
- Turkey’s membership goes back to 1952 and the Cold War
Why Turkey Is a Nation Divided
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The failed coup in Turkey may have revived a debate in Washington over whether the country should remain in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and a host to U.S. nuclear weapons, but the response in Ankara and some U.S. diplomatic circles is simply puzzlement.
Secretary of State John Kerry said last month Turkey’s post-putsch crackdown risked violating the military bloc’s standards of democracy, prompting NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to issue a statement of reassurance that Turkey’s 64-year membership is solid.