In the shadow of Hamas’ attack on Israel, there is a widespread perception that the US government has been hypocritical in its support of the response by the government of Israel.
This view is especially prominent in the Arab world. In the words of Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan, there is “a glaring double standard” when it comes to “the deaths of civilians under Israeli bombardment in Gaza.”
While those remarks have made international headlines, a new concern over hypocrisy could soon emerge as an extension of that debate.
On Wednesday, the president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, reportedly said, “Hamas is not a terrorist organization, it is a liberation group, mujahideen waging a battle to protect its lands and people.”
Note that this stance is fundamentally opposed to that of the US government. The White House will need to respond.
That poses a new risk: The administration of President Joe Biden might elect to respond to a NATO ally in a very different way than would be expected should a non-NATO strategic partner have made similar statements.
Such a double standard could have severe consequences. It could damage one or more of the non-NATO strategic partnerships of the US government in the process.
Consider South Africa. One would expect politically savvy domestic leaders like Nomvula Mokonyane of the African National Congress and Julius Malema of the Economic Freedom Fighters to seize on such a double standard.
Why wouldn’t they? It could help to advance their party’s interests in South Africa’s national elections next year.
This example shows that how the Biden administration responds to Erdogan’s position on Hamas carries implications for US national security and foreign policy far beyond US-Turkey relations.
However the US National Security Council decides to respond to Turkey, it seems reasonable to assume that China, Iran and Russia will be looking to exploit the diplomatic fallout across the Global South.