Why Trump Did Wrong In Congratulating Erdogan After The Referendum

The narrow margin of victory and the allegations of voting irregularities have complicated – even more – the outcome of the Turkish referendum last Sunday.

Ballots without the official stamp were accepted at the last minute, and international observers were blocked from entering the electoral schools in some cities.

Reports of an unfair referendum are isolating Turkey internationally, creating a need for external validation that might never come.

European leaders and the European Union have shown their concerns about the result and Erdogan's intentions of bringing back the death penalty. The US State Department also urged political dialogue, noting reports of irregularities by the OSCE Referendum Observation Mission.

And what did President Trump do?

He phoned Erdogan.

The situation, the article argues, is one of those in which the United States has to choose between its long-term interest in promoting democracy and its short-term interest in maintaining a vital ally in a troubled region.

Far from showing concerns about the result while preserving his partnership with Ankara, Trump congratulated Erdogan on the outcome after the international community – and even the State Department – sent a very different message.

This piece by Daniel W. Drezner explains what lies behind Trump's (clumsy) move.

"It’s time that American foreign policy-watchers craving normality acknowledge three brute facts:

• Donald Trump is the president of the United States;
• Trump has little comprehension of how foreign policy actually works;
• The few instincts that Trump applies to foreign policy are antithetical to American values."