Trump wise to befriend Turkish leader

I respond to Associated Press article “Trump has embraced autocratic leaders without hesitation” that appeared on Dispatch.com on April 19.

We should not condemn President Donald Trump for attempting to work with other world leaders. The article stated, “Trump is hardly the first U.S. president willing to look the other way in dealings with governments that flout democratic values.” Fighting against governments can be more devastating than dealing with them.

For example, the 1953 Iranian coup overthrew a democratically elected government, creating a wildly unpopular monarchy. Today, even though relations are improving, Iran is still one of our greatest enemies.

Surely, if we had worked with Iran, we would enjoy closer ties. Additionally, autocratic leaders are sometimes better fits for their respective countries than are U.S.-style politicians. An example is Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whom Trump called “to congratulate him on a victory that grants him more power.”

What Erdogan critics refuse to consider is strong leaders’ effectiveness in the Middle East. Atatürk, Turkey’s revered leader, governed effectively, while possessing more power than Erdogan, yet Turks revere Atatürk.

Human-rights violations cannot be ignored. However, the leader of the free world must embrace all government leaders to expand the American sphere of influence and spread American ideals around the world.

Sam Cole Upper Arlington