Turkey’s growing defense industry is a cornerstone of Erdogan’s foreign policy as it steers public attention away from Turkey’s currency crisis and troubled foreign policy.
Recently, Turkey has undermined its traditional allies by purchasing the Russian S400 missile system, pursuing energy ambitions in the Eastern Mediterranean, expanding its sphere of influence in Libya, and pushing Operation Peace Spring which prompted NATO members to impose sanctions on Turkey.
Turkey risks losing over a billion dollars in potential military exports due to technical shortfalls. Specifically, a $1.5 billion export contract between Turkey and Pakistan for thirty attack choppers, signed in 2018, remains unfulfilled. Pakistan is now looking to China to update defense infrastructure that Turkey has failed to provide.
It may seem as if Turkey’s defense industry has transformed into a powerful export industry, as it exported $2.2 billion in 2018, effectively making it the 14th largest arms exporter in the world. Turkey’s defense industry is as much about projecting an image of power to the domestic population.
No comments:
Post a Comment