Within Turkey the decision confirms a political narrative that govt officials have long cultivated, echoed on TV news channels for years: The West is panicking about Turkey’s increasing autonomy and is trying economically/militarily to stop Turkey's rise.
Defence industry independence/self-reliance are themes Erdogan and top officials often emphasise. Easier said than done but authorities have made strides in recent years to increase % of domestically sourced material used by Turkish military. Idea plays very well with the public.
Ankara's reaction to CAATSA sanctions has spun it this way, saying the sanctions will only encourage Turkey to accelerate defence self-sufficiency. https://twitter.com/IsmailDemirSSB/status/1338555784645447692?s=19
Incidentally, part of mythology that has captured public imagination about Baykar drones is that US reluctance to sell and hurdles put up by Israeli partners in early development actually inspired Baykar to push drone project forward more independently.
One difficulty for US and EU weighing sanctions is whatever they do will be incorporated into one of these unflattering narratives: Impose sanctions and you're jealously trying to stop Turkey's rise. Don't impose sanctions and you're weak/helpless in the face of Turkey's rise.
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