ANKARA, Turkey — Within a two-week span, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan caused a stir by throwing a wrench in Sweden and Finland's historic request to join NATO, lashing out at fellow alliance member Greece and announcing plans for a new incursion into Syria.
Erdogan appears to be using Turkey's role as a mediator in the Ukraine war and its ability to veto new NATO members as an opportunity to air a variety of grievances and to force other nations to take action against groups the Turkish government views as terrorists, including Kurdish militants.
Amplifying his strongman image by focusing on international disputes also could resonate domestically as Turkey gears up for a general election next year.
Here's a look at Erdogan's latest brinkmanship and what he can hope to gain:
WHAT DOES TURKEY WANT?
Turkey, which commands NATO's second-largest army, is pushing for long-sought demands that Sweden – and to a lesser extent Finland – crack down on entities that Ankara says are linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK.
In threatening to block the addition of the two Nordic nations to the Western military alliance, the Turkish government also wants them to end their alleged support to the People's Protection Units, or YPG, a Syrian Kurdish militia.
The PKK is considered a terrorist organization in Turkey, Europe and the United States. It has led an armed insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984,…
