The Financial Times is warning that Erdogan's ongoing assault on democratic institutions inside Turkey is no longer just...

The Financial Times is warning that Erdogan's ongoing assault on democratic institutions inside Turkey is no longer just a domestic problem. The editorial, published by one of the world's most influential financial newspapers, argues that Turkey's allies are directly at risk from the political direction Erdogan has chosen. The FT's position matters here. This is not a fringe publication or a partisan outlet. When the Financial Times editorializes that a NATO member's leader is undermining democracy in ways that threaten allied nations, it signals a growing consensus among Western institutions that Turkey under Erdogan has become a liability, not just a difficult partner. Turkey has spent years straddling Western alliances while Erdogan consolidated power at home, jailing opponents, shuttering independent media, and restructuring the judiciary to serve political ends. Greece and Cyprus have watched this trajectory closely, given that Turkey's military posture in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean is backed by a government that faces no meaningful internal check on its decisions. The concern is straightforward. A Turkey with weakened democratic guardrails and an unchecked executive is harder to predict, harder to hold accountable through diplomatic channels, and more likely to take aggressive unilateral actions. For Greece, Cyprus, and every NATO state bordering or dealing with Ankara, that is a security problem, not just a values problem. The FT's editorial lands at a moment when Western governments are reassessing how to handle Erdogan, particularly as Turkey continues to use its NATO membership as leverage on issues ranging from Swedish accession to arms purchases. #Erdogan #Turkey #NATO