Erdogan’s hooligans came knocking on NYU’s doors

Aslandogan, however, remains optimistic that democracy may still return to Turkey, provided that four prerequisites are met: new leaders committed to freedom and democracy, focusing on education and offering a more liberal curriculum, developing civil society and concentrating on the building of democratic institutions, and finally, seeking Western engagement and further expanding cultural ties.

Sadly, Dr. Aslandogan added that restoring democracy under Erdogan's leadership is not possible because Erdogan has not only gone too far in promoting his Islamic agenda, but also, he will not relinquish his absolute power voluntarily now that he has secured it through constitutional amendments.

My panelists were not storytellers; they were eyewitnesses to the brutality and corruption of a dictator who betrayed his own people. None of them can go back to Turkey, fearing immediate arrest, charges of phony crimes against the state, facing a kangaroo court, and being sentenced for years in prison. An audience member spoke to this, stating with tears in her eyes that her husband, a Turkish military member who trained with NATO, was arrested without cause and is still languishing in jail.

The question is why Western officials ignore Erdogan's ruthlessness, and why they treat him with such diplomatic deference. They cite three reasons: Turkey is a NATO member, a strategic ally, and a bridge between East and West and a regional power.

An important NATO member should not cozy up to the West's staunchest enemy-Russia-from whom he is buying the S-400 air defense system, which is not only incompatible with the West's air defense but could also compromise the US' sensitive technology when deployed as an integral part of NATO defenses.

A strategic ally does not allow volunteers to cross its border freely to join ISIS in Syria and Iraq, and does not buy oil with cash, allowing ISIS to buy weapons on the black market. A strategic ally does not fight a US ally-the Syrian Kurds-and it does not collude with Russia and Iran to exclude the US from having a say about Syria's future.

As a bridge between East and West, Turkey has and continues to be more of a problem than an asset. It has threatened to flood West European countries with Syrian refugees if they don't meet its demands. As the hub of oil and gas, it supplies Europe much of its energy needs from the Middle East through a network of pipelines on Turkish territory. This makes the EU vulnerable as they fear he could disrupt the flow at any time. And as a regional power, Erdogan fomented foreign problems instead of playing a constructive and stabilizing force.

The question is, for how much longer will the West put up with a despot who continues to commit gross human rights violations without even public condemnation? For how much longer will the West sacrifice its moral values only to accommodate a tyrant?

How can we tolerate a foreign autocrat who dispatches his thugs to our country and challenges our right to free speech and assembly? We still remember how last May Erdogan's security detail violently attacked a small peaceful demonstration protesting his cruel treatment of his own people-in Washington, DC.

It is about time that the US and the EU demand that he ceases his purges against his own people, end his blatant support of Muslim extremists, stop his meddling in the internal affairs of other countries, halt fighting the Syrian Kurds, cancel its weapons deal with Russia, and stop colluding with Iran, which undermine the US' allies in the region.

The US and the EU must realize that Erdogan is not an ally; he is an adversary and must be treated as such.