[Goose]

I think I previously mentioned that "the bribe" was going to require some action from the US :-). The somewhat bad news is that this 40 F-16 "deal" was already offered as a bribe. Its value has already been fully "discounted" by Erdoğan. There will probably be more to come, and I am pretty sure Erdoğan expects this to be a done deal going into the elections. That means it has to happen before June, probably well before. There is more to be done by the US I fear. Exactly what is TBD. Unfortunately, the existing very public problems with extraditions that Erdoğan wants and Sweden can't legally deliver is making the "price" go up. The bad PR is exactly what Erdoğan doesn't want and can potentially tie his hands, at least from his perspective. If everybody had kept their mouths shut, Sweden was in. That didn't happen, and that could be very, very bad. Don't underestimate the political considerations for Erdoğan. He isn't always rational.

[Goose]

I think I previously mentioned that "the bribe" was going to require some action from the US :-). The somewhat bad news is that this 40 F-16 "deal" was already offered as a bribe. Its value has already been fully "discounted" by Erdoğan. There will probably be more to come, and I am pretty sure Erdoğan expects this to be a done deal going into the elections. That means it has to happen before June, probably well before. There is more to be done by the US I fear. Exactly what is TBD. Unfortunately, the existing very public problems with extraditions that Erdoğan wants and Sweden can't legally deliver is making the "price" go up. The bad PR is exactly what Erdoğan doesn't want and can potentially tie his hands, at least from his perspective. If everybody had kept their mouths shut, Sweden was in. That didn't happen, and that could be very, very bad. Don't underestimate the political considerations for Erdoğan. He isn't always rational.