AHI Backs WSJ Editorial Criticizing U.S. Ambassador to Turkey
No. 35
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American Hellenic Institute (AHI) released a letter to the editor to The Wall Street Journal in response to its April 21, 2026, editorial, “Tom Barrack Has His Own Mideast Policy.” The editorial criticized U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack’s public statements on Middle East policy.
In the letter, AHI President and CEO Nick Larigakis supports the editorial board’s concerns and underscores the importance of U.S. diplomats advancing American foreign policy interests. He argues that comparisons between Turkey’s acquisition of Russian S-400 systems and Greece’s handling of S-300 systems are misleading and fail to reflect the historical and strategic context.
Larigakis further emphasizes that Cyprus, a key U.S. strategic partner, has faced longstanding defense procurement limitations under International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), and calls on Congress and the Administration to permanently remove those restrictions.
AHI’s full letter to the editor is available below.
To the Editor:
The Editorial Board is right to call out U.S. Ambassador Tom Barrack for undermining U.S. policy (Tom Barrack Has His Own Mideast Policy, Apr. 21). Unfortunately, his appeasement of Turkey is a perpetual problem of U.S. foreign policy toward Turkey. Our ambassadors must advance U.S. interests and not fall into in a “Stockholm Syndrome” situation as Barrack has done. He parrots Ankara’s talking points by conflating Turkey’s acquisition of Russian S-400s, which triggered U.S. sanctions, with Greece’s acquisition of S-300s from Cyprus in the 90s. This is misleading. Turkey threatened to bomb Cyprus if they were not removed. Immediately upon their acquisition, Greece mothballed the S-300s. At the time, Cyprus could not turn to the U.S. for defense procurement because of restrictions under International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), which were only suspended in 2022 and remain subject to annual review. Congress and the Administration should permanently remove Cyprus, a U.S. strategic partner, from ITAR restrictions.
Sincerely,
Nick R. Larigakis
President & CEO American Hellenic Institute Washington, D.C. 703.909.9078 nlarigakis@ahiworld.org
