OpEd: COLUMN: Political Landscapes and Strategic Corruption: The Turkish Network Behind Eric Adams's Indictment
www.hstoday.us

... Turkiye and the United States have never faced such strained relations. Key issues include conflicting interests in the Middle East, Turkiye's purchase of S-400 missiles from Russia, and efforts to use its relationship with Russia to send messages to the U.S. Ongoing investigations into Turkish businesspeople and politicians in America also contribute to tensions. Furthermore, cooperation between law enforcement and intelligence agencies has not met expectations due to trust issues. The latest crisis revolves around the indictment of New York Mayor Eric Adams by the Southern District Court of New York. The Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi " AKP), which has governed Turkiye since 2002, has sought to influence Adams through strategic corruption, further straining the already fragile relationship between the two countries.

Strategic corruption is the deliberate use of corrupt practices to achieve specific political, economic, or social objectives. This often involves influential individuals or organizations manipulating systems, policies, or resources to gain advantages or maintain control. Recently, this concept has evolved into a national strategy. Countries like China and Russia have transformed their internal corruption into tools for global influence, and Turkiye has started to adopt similar tactics.

Recent developments in Mayor Eric Adams's indictment reveal an organized group of Turkish individuals from the Consulate, Turkish media, Turkish Airlines, and the business sector collaborating to exert influence in New York. This situation raises important questions about how these individuals coordinated their efforts to engage with Mayor Adams. Understanding that the current crisis cannot be fully grasped without considering Turkiye's changing political dynamics and governmental priorities is crucial. Therefore, this article first examines Turkiye's evolving political landscape and analyzes why these influencers collaborate to impact Mayor Adams. ...