Ryan Gingeras of War on the Rocks reports that if you look more closely at the coverage and commentary in Greece and Turkey in the days since the election, you will find a far more complex set of reactions. They write:
Deliberation and debate across the world continue apace on the question of what Donald Trump’s victory means for global security. In Europe, discussions appear to have already attained a frenetic pitch. Leaders in Brussels and other capitals visibly fret over the possibility that the United States may withdraw its support for Ukraine or perhaps leave NATO altogether. Adding to these worries is the likelihood that the Trump administration may initiate a trade war with the European Union, an act that could lead to further instability. Adding his voice to these concerns is Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. In an interview with Bloomberg, Mitsotakis emphasized the need for Europe to come together to strengthen its “strategic autonomy” and “make sure the European economy becomes more competitive” in the wake of the American election. Nevertheless, Greece’s prime minister was among the first European leaders to congratulate Trump on his success, declaring his desire to deepen “the strategic partnership between our two countries.”
Across the Aegean from Athens, there were far fewer visible signs of apprehension or worry on the night of Trump’s victory. Peruse the X accounts of many of Turkey’s more prominent media personalities and you will find little sorrow or remorse when it comes to Vice President Kamala Harris’ electoral defeat. As the hour approached eleven on election night, CNN Türk’s Washington correspondent tweeted his own sourly curt summation of the day’s results. “Rest in peace, Biden. Trump took his revenge.” Leading the way in embracing the news of Trump’s election was Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In congratulating his “friend” on his triumph, Erdogan expressed his belief that Turkish-American relations would improve and that “regional and global crises and wars, especially the Palestinian issue and the Russia-Ukraine war, will come to an end.”
Look more closely at the coverage and commentary in Greece and Turkey in the days since the election and you will find a far more complex set of reactions. For all the difficulties Europe may encounter with a new Trump administration, editors in Athens see a distinct possibility that Greek-American relations may in fact improve in the coming months and years ahead. Precedents set under the first Trump administration, as well as newer developments, endow many commentators in Greece with this confidence. The view from Turkey is strikingly more mixed. Even though some American commentators have voiced cautious optimism at the possibility of a more cooperative era in Turkish-American relations, editors and pundits have tended to emphasize greater trepidation at what they see as the beginning of a potentially more volatile period ahead. Trump’s second coming, by and large, is not seen as a welcome relief when it comes to issues that matter most to the country’s commentariat. Offsetting this anxiety, however, is a genuine satisfaction with the prospects facing the United States as a global power. Trump’s return to power, as many see it, will weaken Washington and help speed the demise of the West as a global force. […]
Yet amid these misgivings, Turkey and Greece continue to carry forward their mutual commitment to improving ties with one another. Recent foreign ministry meetings between the two countries resulted in warm expressions of mutual respect and understanding. Where talks lead to in the future remains up the air. Although high-level discussions are planned for December and the new year, disagreement over the full scope of these meetings still looms. Speaking among domestic audiences, both sides do not appear willing to compromise on much. Greece, one spokesperson in Athens maintained, is invested in “the continuation of the dialogue.” “Dialogue,” he cautioned, “does not mean retreat. Dialogue means assertion.” In both Ankara and Athens, critics have portrayed talks as pre-emptive steps towards forfeiture of territory or sovereign rights.
These internal misgivings do not yet appear to have caught the attention of Trump’s still nascent administration. Should talks break down, both Greece and Turkey may be left with a United States more distracted by affairs in Asia. Even more likely is the prospect that neither state fully trusts Washington with providing mediation on issues that separate the two capitals.
Read more here.
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