Erdoğan, NATO & why Turkey's presidential election matters

Erdoğan, NATO & why Turkey's presidential election matters | GZERO World

Turkey's presidential election is on May 14, and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is not guaranteed to remain in power. How might that impact NATO?

If Erdoğan loses, "it'll matter a lot" for both Turkey and NATO, former US Ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder says in a GZERO World interview with Ian Bremmer. Erdoğan's opposition is campaigning on a pro-Western platform, and once in power, Turkey could once again become a helpful alliance member, stop using its veto power so frequently, and finally allow Sweden to join NATO.

"It'll always be there. It's a strategic country in that region," Daalder explains, "but we won't doubt anymore where its bona fides lie."

Watch the GZERO World episode: Russia vs. NATO: Heightened risk of war

More from GZERO Media

- YouTube

Tensions in the Middle East escalate as Israel launches a surprise military strike against Iran, prompting international concern and speculation about broader conflict. In his latest Quick Take, Ian Bremmer calls Israel’s strike on Iran “a huge success for the Israelis” and a significant blow to Iran’s regional influence.

Iranian policemen monitor an area near a residential complex that is damaged in Israeli attacks in Tehran, Iran, on June 13, 2025.
Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto

Israel bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities Thursday night, causing “significant damage” at the country’s main enrichment plant, killing leading Iranian military figures and nuclear scientists, and sparking fears that the Middle East is on the verge of a wider war.

A tank on display at a park in Washington, D.C., on June 12, 2025, two days ahead of a military parade commemorating the U.S. Army's 250th anniversary and coinciding with President Donald Trump's 79th birthday.

Kyodo via Reuters Connect

The official reason for this weekend’s military parade in Washington DC is to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the US Army – but the occasion also just happens to fall on President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday.