Think Tanks & Lobbies

Turkey Targeting Iraq, Syria, Cyprus, Greece :: Gatestone Institute

June 12, 2022 / By

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is at it, disrupting the region again. This time, he is threatening aggression not only against Greek islands, but also actually attacking the Kurds in northern Syria and Iraq as well as the Yazidis in their homeland of Sinjar, Iraq.

Turkey’s neo-Ottoman expansionist goals in the region appear to be the major motive behind its aggressive policies. The Republic of Turkey will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2023. Erdogan has publicly claimed parts of northern Syria, and Sinjar and Kirkuk in Iraq as part of Turkey in his dream for a new Ottoman Empire. In 2016, for instance, he referred to Misak-ı Milli (“the National Pact”), which contains six decisions about the borders of the Ottoman Empire made by the last term of the Ottoman Parliament in 1920. The National Pact includes claims to parts of Iraq and Syria. “We have responsibilities in accordance with Misak-ı Milli,” Erdogan said.

Lobbyists In US Play Key Role In Turkish-American Relations – Eurasia Review

June 11, 2022 / By

The US political system enables pressure groups and lobbies to access the policymaking process and exert their influence on foreign policy. Through their activities, these groups aim to become powerful political players. In this regard, four major lobbies — namely Armenian, Greek, Jewish and Turkish — play a significant role in shaping Turkish-American relations. Despite …

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Turkish President Erdoğan’s Operative in the U.S. Busted on Fraud Charges | Middle East Forum

June 4, 2022 / By

Israfil Demir, former deputy chair of the Turkish American National Steering Committee (TASC), a front organization established under the guidance and support of the Erdoğan government to influence the US government, was charged last year with participating in a multimillion-dollar conspiracy to traffic counterfeit computer networking devices from China to the US.

His associate Musa Karaman, also Turk who worked with Demir in running the scheme, was charged with the same crime on May 20, 2022.

Demir is close to the Erdoğan government and has appeared in pictures next to Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and Ibrahim Kalin, Erdoğan’s spokesperson. He had been the leader of the youth branches of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in the US and ran an election campaign for Erdoğan and his party among the Turkish diaspora in the US as well as lobbying for him.

The risks of the approaching elections | Daily Sabah

June 4, 2022 / By

Meanwhile, the warm welcome that Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis received on the Hill and his vocal opposition to the F-16 deal irked Ankara. Nonetheless, the Greek public monitors closely the transformation of the American-Greek relationship into the total dependence of the latter on the former. As the Greek left is being suppressed in the name of “Turkophobia,” Mitsotakis took steps that contradicted his normalization efforts with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. While Greece keeps arming some Aegean islands, its prime minister had no problem antagonizing Ankara from Washington.

Review of Erdoğan’s Long Arm in the US: Turkish Influence Operations among American Muslims | Middle East Quarterly

December 12, 2021 / By

Hacked emails tell the story of how Erdoğan’s Turkish proxies first pitched the idea of infiltrating “Capitol Hill and the U.S. security establishment through front organizations and lobbyists under the guise of journalism.” Yayla, director of the Center for Homeland Security at DeSales University, discusses Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s two-pronged strategy for manipulating U.S. …

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Lobbying firm cuts ties with Turkey under pressure – Politico

November 11, 2021 / By

Turkey and Azerbaijan aren’t bereft of lobbying power now without Mercury, which Turkey hired in January on a contract scheduled to run through the end of the year, according to a copy filed with the Justice Department. The firm was charged with helping to organize events that would let Turkey “connect with public policy stakeholders” and with advising the Turkish government on media relations.

Turkey also retains the lobbying firms Capitol Counsel and Greenberg Traurig while Azerbaijan’s government retains BGR Group, according to disclosure filings. The countries’ lobbyists include former Reps. Bill Delahunt (D-Mass.), Charles Boustany (R-La.), Randy Forbes (R-Va.) and Albert Wynn (D-Ma.).

How Jay Sekulow Got Involved in US Foreign Policy – Mother Jones

November 11, 2021 / By

Rudy Giuliani has drawn substantial scrutiny in recent months over his alleged efforts to run a shadow foreign policy for Donald Trump in Ukraine. But the former New York City mayor isn’t the only lawyer for Trump who has become involved in a US foreign policy matter. Last year, Jay Sekulow, while serving as a personal …

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