U.S. President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attend the opening ceremony at the 2018 NATO Summit at NATO headquarters on July 11, 2018, in Brussels. The United States and Turkey maintain the largest and second-largest militaries in NATO, respectively. A serious rift between the two countries would result in disruptions and confusion in the NATO alliance as a whole.
What Happened? On Aug. 1, the United States sanctioned two Turkish government ministers in response to what Washington views as the "unjust and unfair" detention of Andrew Brunson, an evangelical pastor who has lived and worked in Turkey for two decades. Turkey's government has promised to retaliate. How Did Turkey and the United States Get Here? The sanctions on Turkish government officials because of Brunson's detention represent the culmination of increasing tension between Ankara and Washington . For months, they have disagreed over issues as wide ranging as Turkey's demands for the extradition of Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, Turkey's relationship with Russia and its threats to the NATO alliance, Turkey's history of flouting Iran sanctions, conflicting U.S.-Turkish policies in Syria and more. What Do These Sanctions Mean for Turkey's Economy?
