Trump’s Foreign Policy, Greece and Turkey

Editorial writers at both the New York Times and Bloomberg lamented the end of an era when the United States pressured Greece to make major concessions to Turkey. In fairness, these editorials did not express their opinions this way and they probably never proceeded to look at the details of how the Greek standoff with Turkey ended on January 31, 1996 over the islet of Imia. The Treaty of Paris of 1947 which gave the then Italian ruled Dodecanese islands to Greece included the Imia and other islets.

The Clinton administration represented by Undersecretary of State Richard Holbrooke brokered an agreement that led to the removal of the Greek flag and the abandonment of the islet by Greece. It was a capitulation by the Simitis government in Athens to the pressure of the United States. Thus far, the Trump administration has not emulated the traditional American pressure on Greece.

Sunday was the sixty fifth anniversary of the anti Greek pogroms in Constantinople. It should not be forgotten that neither the United States, Great Britain, or NATO condemned the Turkish government. On the contrary, the State Department under Secretary of State John Foster Dulles threatened to cut off aid to Greece if Athens maintained a firm position on the Turkish atrocities.

In 1965, Greek Ambassador to Washington Alexander Matsas was crudely insulted by President Lyndon Johnson who expressed outrage when the Ambassador asserted that the Greek Constitution would not permit Athens to give away a part of Greece (the island of Castellorizo) as part of a “settlement”on Cyprus. Johnson angrily declared,

“Fuck your parliament and your constitution. America is an elephant. Cyprus is a flea. Greece is a flea. If these two fellows continue itching the elephant, they may just get whacked by the elephant’s trunk, whacked good….If your Prime Minister gives me talk about democracy, parliament, and constitution, he, his parliament, and his constitution may not last very long.”

The Trump administration has not committed itself to Greece as it should, but neither has it threatened or bullied Greece as previous administrations have. The Trump campaign was in my opinion preferable to Hillary Clinton in 2016 owing to its “America First” platform that would have committed itself to an isolationist policy away from waging foreign wars and conducting traditional foreign policy that has been so detrimental to Greece and Cyprus in the past. Events that are playing out in the world and in America are changing quickly and this means that the stances and attitudes of America’s political parties could evolve.

As of this writing, it appears that a continuation of the Trump administration is preferable for Greece and Cyprus than the advent of a Biden administration. Again, things could change depending on how the Trump administration reacts to Turkish aggression against Greece and Cyprus. It is certainly true that the Trump administration capitulated to Turkey when it abandoned the Syrian Kurds and permitted Turkey to invade parts of Syria.

However, previous to this the Trump administration had taken a touch stance on Turkey on two occasions. The Trump administration refused to extradite Turkish exile Fetullah Gulen to Ankara despite the Erdogan government’s insistence. During the fight against ISIS, the Trump administration continued to arm the Syrian Kurds despite Turkish demands.

The Trump administration has a mixed record regarding Turkey. Still, the Trump administration has made changes to the traditional foreign policy conducted by both parties. The possibility of coming out strong against Turkey still exists, especially since the Turkish President is becoming increasingly irrational.

A case against the Democrats remains. The performance of the Democrats during the Imia affair are a perfect example. The Clinton administration recognized Skopje at the time as “Macedonia” despite Clinton’s promises in 1992 not to recognize Skopje. The Turkish murders of Cypriots Tasos Isaak and Solomos Solomou went completely unpunished by the Clinton administration.

The Obama administration in which Joe Biden served as Vice President involved itself in Syria. The failed policies in Syria resulted in refugees flooding the Greek islands at the apogee of the economic crisis. The Democrats have never been friendly to Greek interests.

Ultimately, it may not make a difference which party is in power in Washington. If the foreign policy apparatus decides Turkey is a threat, this could be enough to influence either Trump or Biden. The behavior of President Erdogan may also turn off whoever the President turns out to be.

One thing is certain. Turkey is an international menace. However, for the time being Trump appears to be the preferential candidate on Greek and Cypriot security issues.