Understanding the US Spat With Turkey

FEATURING RAHUL MAHAJAN – US relations with Turkey are currently at their lowest point in years, as President Donald Trump’s sanctions over the detention of an American pastor in Turkey threatens that nation’s economy. Now, Turkey is diverting some of its business to Russia and is being offered a financial lifeline by Qatar.

Meanwhile a Turkish court on Friday rejected an appeal by Pastor Andrew Brunson, the evangelical Christian American who faces decades in prison on charges of espionage and terrorism. Trump tweeted on Thursday asking Brunson to, “represent our Country as a great patriot hostage.”

Where does the US-Turkey division stem from and what is Trump’s end game?

Rahul Mahajan is the US Foreign Policy and Empire Correspondent for Rising Up With Sonali. He’s a sociologist and author of two books on the Iraq war: Full Spectrum Dominance: U.S. Power in Iraq and Beyond and The New Crusade: America’s War on Terrorism.