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Flynn affair exposes Turkey's 'sloppy' PR efforts

Though the pro-government Turkish media continues to studiously ignore the affair, the US media is busy probing former national security adviser Michael Flynn's ties to a Turkish businessman who hired him to lobby for Ankara.
White House National Security Advisor Michael Flynn (C) arrives prior to a joint news conference between Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 13, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria - RTSYJDE

A former US ambassador to Turkey once informally observed that the country “lacks the PR gene." The controversy swirling around former national security adviser Michael Flynn over his ties to a Turkish businessman who clearly hired him to lobby on Turkey’s behalf is a further example of how inept Turkey is at promoting itself.

The retired general conceded in a filing with the Justice Department that a $500,000+ deal he signed with Turkish entrepreneur Ekim Alptekin prior to taking office “could be construed to have principally benefitted the Republic of Turkey.” By all accounts, it did not benefit Turkey at all.

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