Turkish–American Relations During Obama Era: Unfulfilled Expectations

Abstract

There were huge expectations that Turkish–American bilateral relations would be improved during Obama's office term. Obama's coming to the office as president raised hopes for further cooperation because of common interests and vision in strategic matters particularly those relevant to the Middle East. However, the expectations have gone unfulfilled due to mutual mistakes that could have been avoided provided that greater attention had been paid to the regional developments. Despite occasional deterioration in the bilateral ties, there is still huge potential in the relations between Turkey and the USA in case the parties act prudently and wisely in the nascent regional political setting.

Notes

See, for example, Weeramantry, Justice Without Frontiers, 136; Wood, “Treaty of Paris,” 262–74.

See, for instance, Adanir, “Turkey's Entry into the Concert of Europe,” 395–417.

For a survey of Turkey's War of Independence, see Shaw and Shaw, History of the Ottoman Empire.

For further insights, see Landau, Ataturk and the Modernization of Turkey.

Evans, Third Reich in Power.

For further details, see Guclu, “Turco-British Rapprochement,” 59–107.

For a discussion and analysis of the tripartite agreement between Turkey, France and Great Britain, see Millman, “Essay and Reflection,” 70–80.

For a detailed analysis of Turkish foreign policy during World War II, see Deringil, Turkish Foreign Policy.

See, for instance, McGhee, “Turkey Joins the West,” 617.

McGhee, Envoy to the Middle World.

See, for example, Bilsel, “Turkish Straits,” 727–47.

See Gaddis, Strategies of Containment.

Kunihold, “Turkey and the West,” 34–48.

For discussion of this process, see Leffler, “Strategy, Diplomacy and the Cold War,” 807–25.

See, for instance, Harris, Troubled Alliance.

See, for instance, Aydin and Erhan, Turkish–American Relations.

Uslu, Cyprus Question.

Full text of Johnson letter is to be found in Middle East Journal, Summer (1966): 386–93.

Ibid.

Spain, “United States, Turkey and the Poppy,” 295–309.

For overall discussions of the developments during this period, see, for instance, Mufti, “Daring and Caution in Turkish Foreign Policy,” 32–50; Aykan, “Turkish Perspectives,” 344–58.

For a discussion of the concept “strategic partnership” in Turkish–American relations, see Walker, “In the Shadow of Strategic Alliance.”

See, for instance, Han, “From Strategic Partnership to Model Partnership,” 77–112.

Erhan, Türk Dış Politikası’nın Güncel Sorunları, 112.

Kalin, “US-Turkish Relations under Obama,” 93.

Cenap Cakmak, “What Does Obama's Visit Say about Future Turkish-American Relations,” Today's Zaman, April 8, 2009.

For the official texts of the speeches Obama delivered in Turkish Parliament and Cairo University, see “Remarks by President Obama to Turkish Parliament,” The White House Office of the Press Secretary, April 6, 2009; “Remarks by the President on a New Beginning,” The White House Office of the Press Secretary, June 4, 2009.

See, for instance, “Obama More Popular Abroad than at Home; Global Image of US Continues to Benefit,” Pew Global Attitudes Project, Pew Research Center, June 17, 2010.

Remarks by President Obama and Prime Minister Erdogan of Turkey after Bilateral Meeting, http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/03/25/remarks-president-obama-and-prime-minister-erdogan-turkey-after-bilatera.

See, for instance, Kardas, “Turkey: Redrawing the Middle East Map,” 116.

“Report of the International Fact-Finding Mission to Investigate Violations of International Law, Including International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law, Resulting from the Israeli Attacks on the Flotilla of Ships Carrying Humanitarian Assistance,” Human Rights Council, UN General Assembly 15th Session, A/HRC/15/21, September 27, 2010.

Full text of the nuclear swap deal is available at “Joint Declaration by Iran, Turkey and Brazil,” The Guardian, May 17, 2010.

“Dünyayı rahatlatan nükleer imza,” Star, May 18, 2010.

Instead, the Obama administration asked for tightened sanctions against Iran. See “US Presses Ahead with Iran Sanctions,” Strategic Comments 16, no. 4 (2010): 1–3.

UN Security Council Resolution No. 1929, S/RES/1929/2010, June 9, 2010.

“Security Council Imposes Additional Sanctions on Iran; Voting 12 in Favour to 2 Against, with 1 Abstention,” UN Security Council Department of Public Information News and Media Division, New York, June 9, 2010.

“Türkiye neden ‘hayır’ dedi?” NTVMSNBC, June 9, 2010.

“US Sources: Turkey Vote Against Iran Sanctions—A Slap in the Face,” Haaretz, June 10, 2010.

“Türkiye bağlılığını göstersin,” NTVMSNBC, June 26, 2010.

“Ömer Çelik başkanlığındaki heyet ABD'ye gidiyor,” CNN Türk, June 9, 2010.

“Erdoğan-Obama görüşmesi sona erdi,” NTVMSNBC, June 27, 2010.

Sedat Ergin, “What Came Out of the Obama-Erdogan Meeting?” Hürriyet Daily News, June 30, 2010.

Ali H. Aslan, “Erdoğan, Obama Hold ‘Candid’ Discussions at Critical Summit,” Today's Zaman, June 27, 2010.

Cenap Çakmak, “Obama-Erdoğan görüşmesi: hataları tamir girişimi,” Zaman, June 29, 2010.

“Obama Warns Erdoğan International Gaza Flotilla Probe Bad for Turkey,” Haaretz, July 3, 2010.

“Erdoğan basın toplantısı düzenledi,” Star, June 28, 2010.

Cenap Çakmak, “ABD'nin Ortadoğu ülkelerine silah satışının anlamı,” Zaman, September 27, 2010.

“U.S. Nears Key Step in European Defense Shield Against Iranian Missiles,” The Washington Post, August 1, 2010.

“US Wants Backing on Missile Shield Plans, Turkey Insists on Terms,” Today's Zaman, October 20, 2010.

“Gates: ‘Füze kalkanı konusunda Türkiye'ye baskı yapmıyoruz,” VOA News, October 18, 2010.

“Davutoğlu'ndan füze kalkanı tepkisi,” CNN Türk, November 15, 2010.

“Ankara'dan kalkana şart var, veto yok,” Radikal, November 7, 2010.

For further discussion of this matter, see Çakmak, “Türkiye-ABD ilişkilerinde stratejik ortaklık,” 72–88.

See, for instance, Grigoriadis, “Friends No More?,” 59.

Aras and Gorener, “National Role Conceptions and Foreign Policy Orientation,” 89.

Kibaroglu and Caglar, “Implications of a Nuclear Iran for Turkey,” 59.

Dobbins et al., “US Withdrawal from Iraq,” 3.

Mattair, “United States and Iran,” 52.

Senior strategist Richard Haass and Martin Indyk say: “Preventive military action against Iran by either the United States or Israel is an unattractive option, given its risks and costs.” Haass and Indyk, “Beyond Iraq,” 42.

Ozcan and Ozdamar, “Iran's Nuclear Program,” 131.

Murray, “Carcass of Dead Policies,” 217.

Ibid.

Ibid., 221.

Haass and Indyk, “Beyond Iraq,” 46.

Kassimeris, “Turkey's Foreign Policy Options,” 329.

Aliriza et al., Turkey's Evolving Dynamics, 44.

Larrabee, Troubled Partnership, 34.

Ibid.

Ibid., 35.

Ibid., 35.

Ibid., 35.

Aliriza et al, Turkey's Evolving Dynamics, 43.

Ibid., 45.

Larrabee, Troubled Partnership, 34.

Aliriza et al., Turkey's Evolving Dynamics, 17.

Larrabee, Troubled Partnership, 36.

See, for instance, Aras and Gorener, “National Role Conceptions and Foreign Policy Orientation,” 73.

Sandole, “Turkey's Unique Role in Nipping in the Bud,” 636–55.

Kassimeris, “Turkey's Foreign Policy Options,” 322.

Kalin, “US-Turkish Relations under Obama,” 99.

Turkey presents itself as the only country to pursue “constructive relations with all Iraqi actors and Iraqi neighbors.” See Aras and Gorener, “National Role Conceptions and Foreign Policy Orientation,” 87.

Davutoglu, Stratejik Derinlik ve Turkiye'nin Uluslararasi Konumu.

Kalin, “US-Turkish Relations under Obama,” 99.

Larrabee, Troubled Partnership, 33.

Aras and Gorener, “National Role Conceptions and Foreign Policy Orientation,” 81.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton declared that Obama Administration were realistic in its support for the so-called “Middle Eastern Transitions”. According to her “… for the United States, supporting democratic transitions is not a matter of idealism. It is a strategic necessity.” http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2012/10/199102.htm.

“Erdogan Calls for a Secular Egypt,” Egypt Independent, September 13, 2011.

“Obama Meets Erdogan,” The Journal of Turkish Weekly, September 21, 2011.

Cakmak, “Erdogan-Obama görüşmesi.”