‘Erdogan has turned more authoritarian’

Tensions between Russia and Turkey have hit an all-time high. The Turks shot down a Russian fighter jet that they say violated their airspace along the border with Syria. Moscow and Ankara back opposing sides in Syria’s civil war, and the new tensions could fuel a direct conflict. The implications are huge, because Turkey is a NATO member and a long-standing U.S. ally in the Middle East. Despite the tensions, Suat Kiniklioglu says Turkey had every right to down the Russian warplane. Kiniklioglu is the executive director of the Center for Strategic Communication, a think tank in Ankara. He was also a spokesman for the Turkish parliament’s committee on foreign affairs, and he served as an officer in Turkey’s air force.