Turkey has an anti-Semitism and an anti-Americanism problem. It is increasingly not a safe place to be either American or Jewish. Talking with folks around Istanbul, you’ll hear a lot of discussion about the soon-to-be-released sequel to the Turkish movie Valley of the Wolves. That was a rabidly anti-Semitic and anti-American film depicting the Iraq War as a Jewish plot to harvest and sell organs from Iraqi civilians. It was financed by Prime Minister Erdogan’s inner circle, and endorsed by his wife.
Namik Tan, Turkey’s ambassador to the United States, has spent a lot of time trying to excuse and smooth over the incitement that comes out of Turkey. It will be interesting to see how he handles Valley of the Wolves II. It would be a shame if Erdogan’s AKP turned a skilled Turkish diplomat into an apologist for anti-Semitism.