In September, just days after tens of thousands of Turks had poured into the streets to protest President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s latest crackdown on his political opponents and a faltering economy, Mr. Erdogan stood smiling beside President Trump at the White House.
The price of the long-coveted meeting had been steep: Ahead of it were reports that Turkey would purchase Boeing planes and F-16s, and Ankara announced the scrapping of additional tariffs on U.S. goods and a 20-year deal to purchase U.S. liquefied natural gas. But for Mr. Erdogan, it was surely worth it: His foreign policy partnerships, especially with the West, have given him the political cover and economic lifeline to tighten his grip on power just as he moves to dismantle the last remaining pillars of Turkish democracy.
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