Breaking up is hard to do. Especially when you've been Facebook NATO
official for a while. But when your partner's been consistently
disloyal, bullies your friends and is now publicly stepping out with
your longtime nemesis, it's time to move on.

**He's just not that into you**. Likewise, Turkey's bully-in-chief,
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a smooth talker, and multiple US
policy makers have been seduced by his silver tongue. But it's time to
say buh-bye.

Testing their Missiles

This past week, Turkey tested its controversial S-400 missile system.
Initial reports indicate the test was a failure, but the act itself was
a flagrant affront to the US and its allies. The latest test comes after
Turkey previously used the system's radar against F-16 jets they
purchased from the US, during our long since passed period of alliance,
and then used the same system to track Greek fighter planes returning
from an exercise.

Moreover, Turkey's possession and testing of this weapon provides
Russia with valuable information about a US-made fighter plane's
vulnerabilities and capabilities. Turkey's actions are not just an
insult to the U.S., they are an injury, and they imperil American and
allied pilots.

Low-Rent Ahmadinejad

In September, President Erdogan delivered remarks at the UN General
Assembly reminiscent of the rantings of former Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad.

Referring to Israel, Erdogan said, "The dirty hand that reaches the
privacy of Jerusalem, where the sacred places of the three great
religions coexist, is constantly increasing its audacity." Not as
pithy as Ahmadinejad, but disgusting nonetheless.

A few weeks later, Erdogan declared, "Jerusalem is our city." For
starters, it isn't. Jerusalem belongs to the Jewish state - if
President Erdogan would like, we're happy to explain with crayons and
a paint-by-number map. Setting aside his blatant lie, can you really
call yourself a NATO ally when you're picking fights with other NATO
allies (Greece), supporting terrorists (Hamas), and declaring someone
else's capital city (Jerusalem) your own?

Speaking of NATO

And that's where we get to the breaking up part. Turkey is a member of
NATO. While there is no provision in the organization for removing a
party to the treaty, Turkey, which seems to hate everything NATO stands
for, can leave of their own volition. NATO should "increase its
audacity" and show Turkey the door.

So, in sum, Turkey's president talks as if he's on the cusp of
resurrecting the Ottoman Empire all while hiding behind NATO's skirt.
Bold.

Erdogan's two-faced and cowardly approach to foreign policy demands
action. That is why this morning CUFI launched an Action Alert

asking President Trump to issue strong sanctions against Turkey under
the

**Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act.** If you'd
like to join that effort, please click here
.
And please continue to check back with our Action Update each week to
stay on top of the latest developments in the Middle East.

Sincerely,

CUFI Action Fund Team

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