The recent NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, has been hailed as a resounding success. For one thing, European leaders managed to avoid a blow-up from U.S. President Donald Trump by assiduously presenting him with tributes: namely, evidence of their increased military spending. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, meanwhile, came closer to the lifting of U.S. sanctions that might allow Turkey to finally buy F-35s.

Then, there was the joint communique, a document that has often been a problem during Trump’s time in office. The Ankara communique was undoubtedly milquetoast, but it did contain all the correct platitudes and buzzwords, from the allies’ “ironclad commitment to [their] collective defense under Article 5 of the Washington Treaty” to their dedication to a “360-degree approach to deterrence and defense.”

The recent NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, has been hailed as a resounding success. For one thing, European leaders managed to avoid a blow-up from U.S. President Donald Trump by assiduously presenting him with tributes: namely, evidence of their increased military spending. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, meanwhile, came closer to the lifting of U.S. sanctions that might allow Turkey to finally buy F-35s.

Then, there was the joint communique, a document that has often been a problem during Trump’s time in office. The Ankara communique was undoubtedly milquetoast, but it did contain all the correct platitudes and buzzwords, from the allies’ “ironclad commitment to [their] collective defense under Article 5 of the Washington Treaty” to their dedication to a “360-degree approach to deterrence and defense.”

Leaders even went home with a lovely parting gift. Erdogan presented each one with a loaded revolver engraved with their name—either a thoughtful gesture or a bureaucratic nightmare, depending on which country the leader in question was from. Even the sudden resumption of air strikes against Iran during the summit did not derail proceedings.

However, it’s notable that at the end of the communique,........

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