Removing the rose-colored glasses: Resetting U.S. - Turkey relations

Abstract

In the midst of a shifting global landscape, the U.S.-Turkey relationship is in a volatile state. Although historically allies, Turkey and the U.S. have begun to drift apart as a result of Turkey’s rising selfconfidence and willingness to act against U.S. interests. This self-confidence comes as a result of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s successful consolidation of power under the guise of Islam and the flourishing economy of the past seventeen years which has led Turkey to develop a range of interests that do not always align with the United States. President Erdoğan’s self-confidence allowed him to go after rivals of the state such as the Gülen Movement and the Kurdish community living in Turkey. These preconditions, discussed in our report’s background section, influenced the divergence of U.S.-Turkey relations in other key regions where Turkish and American interests are interwoven. The divergence of U.S.-Turkey interests marks a new era in the Turkish-American partnership. If the United States is to remain partners with Turkey, it must recognize the state of the relationship as it is now and effectively restructure the relationship so that both states can benefit from their prolonged collaboration.