Abandonment or Engagement: Recalibrating US-Turkey relations

Abstract

Recent changes in Turkey’s domestic and foreign policy, as well as in the general international community, demand a reevaluation and recalibration of American-Turkish relations. Under President Erdoğan, Turkey has implemented foreign policy that is increasingly at odds with American preferences and interests, as exemplified by the Turkish government’s use of a hard-power approach to foreign policy and its choices to pursue expansionist goals. With recent developments in Ukraine and in broader international relations, the U.S. should carefully consider how it wishes to protect its interests and priorities both near and far its sphere of influence.