Revitalizing the debate on Turkey in Washington

When I returned to Washington two years ago as a visiting scholar at the Brookings Institution, working on Turkey, I was surprised by the notable lack of interest in Turkey in the capital. Despite the backdrop of a major war in Europe, just north of Turkey's Black Sea coast, Washington's usual chatter about Turkey had all but disappeared. My memory of moving around town between different events in Turkey as a young journalist has now been replaced by a seemingly impervious apathy towards Turkey.

Of course, this was not simply a reflection of a shift in geopolitical priorities, but a sign of the continued deterioration of relations between the United States and Turkey. Historically, Ankara was seen by U.S. policymakers as a vital transatlantic ally as well as a crucial regional partner in a difficult part of the world – a legacy that survived the Cold War. Fears that Turkey would become more relevant to Western interests have always existed, but somehow the end of the Cold War made Turkey even more relevant, amid the growing involvement of Americas in the Middle East after September 11, 2001. Turkey was no longer only a vital regional partner, but potentially also a model of how democracy could work in the Muslim world. There was optimism in Brussels about Turkey's accession process to the European Union, including the long series of democratic reforms but also the potential transformative power of the conservative Justice and Development Party in the Middle East. -Post-Arab Spring East.

All that optimism has long since faded. Over the past decade, a series of events, including the US partnership with the Syrian Kurds, Turkey's democratic backsliding, Turkey's purchase of Russian missile systems, and the political fallout from the attempted coup State of 2016, all contributed to the collapse of this Cold War marriage.

In trying to manage a strained partnership, the Biden administration has taken a somewhat distant approach toward Ankara. The political community largely followed. Yet Turkey remains a substantial middle power and a capable NATO ally in a crucial part of the world. It is located between two hot wars and has developed industrial defense capabilities that are lacking in many European countries. Although it primarily pursues an autonomous foreign policy, Ankara is a regional heavyweight, capable of helping shape, hinder, or strengthen U.S. policy in the Black Sea, the Caucasus, and the Levant.

At a time of global disorder, the United States and Turkey need a geopolitical reset. It is more important than ever to revisit U.S.-Turkey relations with fresh perspectives and a healthy dose of pragmatism, in hopes of identifying mutually beneficial solutions to address today's enormous economic and geopolitical challenges. for both countries.

This production is intended to present a collection of short essays, Solving Washington's Riddle on Turkey, which have been written by some of the best scholars in the field. The Brookings Institution has a long tradition of promoting dialogue on Turkey, a legacy dating back to the founding of the Turkey Project in 2004 under the leadership of Brookings President Strobe Talbott and Director of the Center on the United States and Europe Phil Gordon. In this collection, our contributors questioned whether or not it is possible to overcome the trust deficit between the two capitals; Turkeys complicated enemy status with Russia; the question of how the West can support Turkey's democratic evolution, despite headwinds within Turkey's nationalist coalition; build a new security partnership with a more independent Türkiye; and find the best approach to resizing Turkey's role in American foreign policy priorities.

The essays are grounded in the realities of our times, recognizing both the potential and limitations of cooperation in various fields. More importantly, they reflect a diversity of views on Turkey and the various geopolitical considerations surrounding the Turkey debate.

Hopefully this compendium will reinvigorate the debate on Turkey in Washington and offer guidance to the new administration in January 2025. We also hope that it can accurately reflect the search for new policies in Ankara and Washington to put in place safeguards around the decades-old alliance in order to prevent new policies. unravel and finally turn a page.