Turkey

The Turkish people are responsible for the health of their own democracy, but it's high time the EU accepted its share of political and economic blame for encouraging Erdogan's most illiberal instincts.

By helping Erdogan break his authoritarian habit now, Washington and Paris can prevent the nightmare scenario of a Turkey crippled by its own self-destructive tendencies.

The next domino in Erdogan's consolidation of power may soon fall, and Washington should view any short-term spike in his nationalist rhetoric through this domestic political lens.

Washington has ample reason to maintain a long-term military presence in eastern Syria, but it will need to overcome a host of political, legal, and logistical problems along the way.

Watch a stimulating conversation with acclaimed Turkish writer Ece Temelkuran, whose latest novel examines the upheavals around Turkey's 1980s coup.

Many Turks traditionally got their only firsthand exposure to European values by interacting with European tourists, but lately this trend seems to be weakening even as visitors from Muslim-majority or former Soviet countries are on the rise.

Even if Erdogan strikes a deal to keep the crisis from boiling over, Washington has shown him that there are limits to U.S. tolerance of his authoritarian balancing act.

International pressure has raised the stakes of the planned referendum, but the Kurds have made their case even if the vote is canceled.

To preserve its relations with both Ankara and Rojava, Washington may need to push for military action against the PKK leadership in northern Iraq.