The sanctions Trump has just launched against Turkey are not enough to deter and even benefit Ankara.

US President Donald Trump on October 14 said he was ready to "destroy" Turkey's economy with sanctions if Ankara continued its military campaign against the Kurds in northeastern Syria.

"I am fully ready to quickly destroy the Turkish economy if Turkish leaders continue to follow this dangerous path," Trump said after signing an executive order imposing sanctions on Ankara.

In a separate statement, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned that if Turkey did not immediately stop its military operation, further sanctions were waiting for Ankara.

But according to Aykan Erdemir, a researcher at the Washington-based Democratic Defense Fund, tough statements from the US government "can help" Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He also added that so far, Trump seems to be reluctant to punish Ankara for a series of actions that go against US national security interests.

In a statement yesterday, President Trump said he would impose sanctions on former officials and the incumbent Turkish officials involved in the campaign in Syria, raising steel taxes to 50%. as he set out earlier this year and "immediately" stopped negotiating trade with Ankara.

But data from the US government shows that Turkish steel imports have dropped 76% since 2018, so the Trump tax on Turkey's steel industry really doesn't have much effect.

The last time the Trump administration punished Turkish officials was last August. At the time, experts were skeptical that people within the scope of punishment had little connection with the US financial system.

And given that the US-Turkey relationship has been at its worst in decades, the idea of trade talks will be almost impossible.

The latest sanctions are part of the administration's effort to ease the wave of criticism over President Trump's decision, to withdraw all US troops from northeastern Syria, to give Turkey a green light. The United States attacked the Kurdish militia, an important allied force that supported the United States in the fight against the Islamic State (IS).

Some members of the Democratic Party, Republican Party and former government officials said that the decision to withdraw US troops back home was awarded successfully to Syria, Russia and Iran, betraying the Kurds, creating opportunities for IS. reviving and destroying America's reputation in the international arena, making it difficult for the formation of alliances in the future.

Tens of thousands of Kurdish civilians have been left homeless by Turkey's military operation. The number of civilian casualties continues to rise. US lawmakers have implied that no matter how influential the Trump sanctions imposed on Ankara, they will have their own.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who was with Trump when he signed the executive order, said the president's team "had a concrete plan" and he would "strongly support". Mr. Graham asserted that Congress would "impose strict sanctions" to supplement any actions Trump has taken.

Shortly after the announcement from Trump, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper of Turkey's "unacceptable invasion" harmed the fight against ISIS, potentially potentially engulfing the United States in a conflict. bigger and creating a humanitarian disaster. He urged allies of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to take action against Ankara. The spokesman for the Esper only widened the gap in the US-response to NATO countries and allies, the expert said.

The announcement from President Trump did not mention stopping arms sales to Turkey, the choice that the House and Senate senators in both parties are pursuing.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Eliot Engel and Republican Rep. Mike McCaul proposed a bill banning US arms exports to Turkish armed forces conducting military operations in Syria. and prevent any emergency measures that allow continued arms exports. Meanwhile, France, Germany, Finland, Norway and the Netherlands have announced they will suspend arms sales to Turkey.

"When it comes to Erdogan's violations, we still don't see any clear punishment," said Erdemir from the Democratic Defense Fund.

The government has yet to impose legally binding sanctions from parliament before Turkey bought a missile defense system from Russia. Instead, Trump was only reluctant to send Turkey off the list of countries buying new F-35 fighters.

The Trump administration is still ignoring Ankara's continued declaration of non-compliance with U.S. sanctions on Iran. The White House has not yet imposed sanctions on Hallbank Turkey, accused of joining the largest network ever to help Iran evade sanctions.

Recent news has also revealed that Rudi Giuliani, President Trump's personal lawyer, once lobbied former US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to release a Turkish gold trader that, according to federal officials. state, he is a key player in the line to help Iran evade sanctions.

"It's hard to understand because it's not all a mistake. Everything is calculated. This is really a mystery," Erdemir commented.

On the other hand, according to analysts, the US steel tariff barriers against Turkey and other countries decided to withdraw trade preferential rights for Turkey in May in the same way as the opening move. for trade negotiations rather than a way to respond to Ankara's actions.

Erdemir judged that President Erdogan could consider trade sanctions to be an affordable price. "If you face Erdogan, he will easily say that if these measures help resolve negative reactions from the American public, then do it," he said.

Erdemir believes that the trade moves and statements made by Trump and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin could be taken advantage of by Turkish leaders. Erdogan and his son-in-law, who now hold Turkey's finance minister, are facing a wave of anger at home because of the bleak national economic situation and unprecedented high unemployment. see.

"Trump's 'I'm ready to destroy the Turkish economy' will open the way for Erdogan. Now he can justify that 'not me, it's the Americans,'" Erdemir said.