Turkey and the United States

Abstract

Since 1945, Turkey has occupied a special place in American foreign policy. During the Cold War, Turkey played an important role in the American containment policy as the southeast bastion of NATO and as a buffer state against the Soviet Union. In the post-Cold War era, despite some initial confusion as to what its mid- to long-term role might be, its geographical eye in the storm location made Turkey a valuable partner for the US. Since 1999, the US-Turkish relationship was defined as one of strategic partnership.Initially, Turkey and the US had a convergence of interests in the uncertain and volatile international environment of the post-Cold War era. For American interests, Turkey's unique character among the Muslim countries made it a valuable asset in bridging the cultural gap between Europe and the Middle East. Its geographic position and military bases facilitated information gathering and intelligence about potential terrorist activities as well as operations against such groups. Similarly, the US was important for Turkish interests, for its place in the global balance of power, as a security provider, and as a key supporter in Ankara's bid for membership in the European Union (EU). In addition, US support during the 19905 for Turkey's policy of opposing Kurdish separatists was important for Turkish security since one of Ankara's major foreign policy objectives is to prevent Kurdish terrorism, as well as the establishment of a separate Kurdish state.This article argues that even though the US and Turkey shared a convergence of interests in countering terrorism and protecting Middle Eastern stability, there was also a more serious divergence of interests, specifically over the Kurds in Iraq, which became visible before and during the Iraqi war. The crisis that was due to this divergence began on e March 2003 when the Turkish parliament rejected a government bill that would have allowed the US to open a northern front against Iraq from Turkish soil. The crisis deepened in July 2003 when the two countries seemed to disagree about the future of Iraq, most specifically over the status of the Kurds. Thus, this paper proposes that the Iraqi war challenged the durability and strength of Turkey's relations with the US. Turkey's special partnership with the US, institutionalized under the NATO umbrella, determined Turkey's position in the international system, which is why the crisis between Turkey and US was so critical for Ankara.Ankara's perception that Turkey faces unprecedented threats in the post-Cold War era complicated its position vis-a-vis the US. These difficulties were due to Turkey feeling alienated and isolated in the western security system. This isolation was mostly felt as a result of Turkey's problematic relationship with the EU, which Turkey has aspired to join since 1987. The major shock came when the EU included the former Warsaw pact countries, as well as Cyprus and Malta, in the enlargement process that was launched in the 19905, while it left Turkey out. The ambivalent relationship between Turkey and the EU led some Turkish policymakers to believe that their country was being kept out of Europe in the post-Cold War era. After 9/11, Turkey's sense of its own insecurity increased. As the only Muslim member of NATO, it was directly affected due to the apparent confrontation between the west and the Islamic world. Furthermore, international terrorism complicated Turkey's own identity crisis as some socially outcast groups in Turkey supported the goals espoused by terrorism. The sense of insecurity Turkey felt sharpened as its relations with the US seemed to hit rock bottom in 2003.TURKEY'S PARTNERSHIP WITH THE US PRIOR TO IRAQI WARTurkey's partnership with the US began at the end of the second World War. When the US adopted its containment policy toward Soviet expansionism, it turned out that Turkey would play a substantial role. Turkey and Greece were the major recipients of financial and military aid under the Truman doctrine of 1947. …