Suchergebnisse

The U.S.-Turkey relationship has been tested through some of the most serious crises in recent years. The continuing strength of the relationship, despite all the tensions which have resulted from some difficult strategic disagreements and diverging interests, requires a closer look. The two NATO allies appear to have learned to 'agree to disagree' and compartmentalize some of the seemingly most deal breaking issues. As Turkey sought to protect its national interests, some in Washington have tried to depict Turkey as a bad actor working against U.S. interests in the region and beyond. The recurring theme of Turkey, somehow leaving the West and aligning itself with the East, has convinced many in the U.S. that Turkey cannot not be trusted. However, the U.S.-Turkey relationship has survived despite years of mutual mistrust, strategic divergences, and policy differences. Explaining how this has been possible is not simple by any means, but it is worth exploring.

US-Turkish relations are in the best shape of recent memory. President Barack Obama's first official overseas visit (in 2009) was meant to start a new type of relationship with Turkey, dubbed the "model partnership," but the bilateral relations received particular attention in the wake of two major diplomatic crises in 2010: a flotilla incident—when the ship the Mavi Marmara, owned by a Turkish nonprofit organization, was boarded by the Israeli military while on the way to Gaza with aid—and Turkey's "no" vote at the UN Security Council on sanctions against Iran. Both of these crises had to do with regional issues of vital importance for both the United States and Turkey. The Arab Spring that began in late 2010, however, created a new dynamic that rendered cooperation between the two countries critical.