The History Of The U. S-Turkey Relations

Stone, N. (2012, December 28). This week's big questions: Should Turkey join the EU? Should the UK have a referendum on leaving it? Retrieved from www.independant.co.uk:

Summary: A closed think-tank meeting held JUL17 in German, has identified the Western Balkans as the next crisis area as Turkey and Russia continue to promote instability within the region. The group identified three areas, Bosnia, Kosovo, and Macedonia, as potential targets of Russian and Turkish supported annexation by Serbia and Albania. Despite Turkey’s suspicions of Russia, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is cooperating more closely with President Vladimir Putin and is now seen by many NATO members as becoming a NINO (NATO in Name Only) power.

The relationship between the United States and Turkey since the 1991 Gulf War can be described as a ?you scratch my back I?ll scratch yours? situation.? Turkey still plays a crucial role in U.S. foreign policy; however, the relationship has been strained during the interwar years.? According to Michelle Ciarrocca, the U.S. needs to treat modern Turkey as a part of the ?New Europe? (ibid).? ?New Europe? includes the members of NATO in the eastern parts of Europe (ibid).? This area is becoming increasingly important to the U.S. because of its strategic location near both the Middle East and Russia (ibid).? For this reason, The United States has struggled to build a working relationship with Turkey.? However, this relationship is not always ideal for both

The Ottoman Empire was one of the longest enduring empires. In 1299 ce, the earliest Ottoman state was recorded in the western part of Anatolia, Turkey. The key goal at the time of creation was to expand the empire as soon as possible.The Ottoman empire, also known as a Turkish Empire was founded by Osman the first. In the beginning stages of Ottoman expansion, leaders of the group were Turkish warriors for Islamic faith. After maintaining control of the small northwest area of Turkey, other areas of Anatolia were up for the taking. The crumble of the Seljuk Turk empire gave a perfect opportunity for the Ottoman Empire to give birth to a new era. The Ottoman-Turks gained control of all other states that were under Seljuk. Surrounding areas

However, the state of the contemporary relationship has been unstable through events and the rising anti-American sentiment among Turkish citizens. Despite the U.S. support to Turkey for the security of the Middle East region and the corresponding benefits through the bilateral cooperation, the two countries have currently been through several controversies.

I have been waiting for the Arch Duke Ferdinand moment, the one conflict that spark the fires or war. In my estimation, Turkey’s actions against Russia may as well be that moment. The words of Otto von Bismarck still ring true to this day “ One day the great European War will come out some damned foolish thing the Balkans”.

The focus of this inquiry is the conflict between the Armenians and Turkish Government in the 20th century between 1915-1918 and how it was caused and also if there was a resolution to this conflict or has it continued through to modern times.

In its relative dark history Turkey, has come a long way. Overcoming its continuing struggle with its Muslim dominance, to becoming a powerful democratic Muslim state. Seeking full membership into the European Union (EU) to be a first Muslim EU state, and a member of NATO. With the country being part of not only Europe, it also shares geopolitical aspects with Asia and the Middle East, Mediterranean and Balkans. While trying to bring modern values to an elected Islamist government.

With our continuing interest in the Middle East and Russia’s recent action in Crimea, Turkey has become one of the most important allies to the western world. However, their recent actions suggest that turkey is moving away from the west. Now that Turkey is starting to thrive independently, the west is no longer as appealing. Under the leadership of its current Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, it is clear that Turkey is focusing more on its self-interest in the Middle East. Erdogan is a devout Muslim with a fundamentalist past who, now that he is in power, has cemented his role by dismantling the checks and balances of the Turkish political system. With public backing and changing economic condition that favor Turkey, Erdogan has been able to steer Turkey away from its secularist roots and away from western influence.

Turkey, a relatively new nation, is not new to internal conflict and the oppression of minorities. Wedged between Europe and the Middle East, the area occupied by Turkey has long served as a crossroads between these areas, and, as a result, Turkey's majority Islamic Arab populace is smattered with significant pockets of minorities. These religious and ethnic minorities have been the source of much controversy in Turkey, but now change appears to be on the horizon. As Turkey seeks the approval of the European Union, it has begun to implement impressive humanitarian reforms that should drastically improve the plight of the minorities that call the nation home.

Turkey’s poltical trajectory in its aftermath of the failed military coup, has significantly impacted the United States already strained relations with Turkey. Turkey’s relationship with the US has been previously stained due to the US's cooperation with the Kurdish PYD in Syria, which turkey considers a terrorist organisation. However, despite much tension, Turkey remains an instrumental geological ally of the United states and other NATO members, as the Nations geological location provides regional stability within the middle east.

Recently the United States and several European nations entered into negotiations to release Iranian assets in exchange for assurances that Iran would do several things, including, reduce both their stockpiles of enriched Uranium and the number of Centrifuges. Additionally they are to convert one facility into a research center, cease activities related to any nuclear weapons projects, and submit to inspections of their nuclear facilities. There are several problems related to this agreement. Any of the issues alone would be troubling; together they should be a deal breaker.

“We need to embrace our loved ones no matter what we believe in. We need to come together and no other event could remind us of the need for solidarity.” At ten o’clock on July 15, 2016, news anchor Tijen Karas for Turkish Radio and Television was forced to read a statement by insurgents calling themselves the Peace at Home Committee, in reference to Mustafa Kemal Ataturk’s—the founder of the Turkish Republic—famous mantra “Peace at home, Peace in the world.” As rebels held Karas at gunpoint, she read a declaration by of military plotters against the government claiming secular and democratic law had diminished under Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (Filkins 2). Established on the basis of secularism, the Turkish constitution provides the military with the authority to intervene in the government to maintain democracy and prevent Islamic nationalists from gaining power. The recent attempted coup in Turkey, believed to have been led by forces loyal to exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen, was inspired by an alternative to a near-authoritarian regime of President Erdogan. The failure of the coup provided President Erdogan with even greater powers, which has resulted in the loss of freedoms in Turkey and in dire consequences to the wider world.

State Department., n.d.). The Clinton administration imposed sanctions affected any person, country or company that invested more that 40 million dollars a year in Iran’s oil or natural gas industries (Gray, 1996, July 23). The Iranian government denied these allegations. The rest of the world continued to provide technology to Iran for the purposes of a peaceful nuclear energy program. In 2003 the European Union imposed economic sanctions on Iran due to the discovery of enriched Uranium being found by the United Nation atomic agency. The ban lasts as long as Iran continues to produce enriched Uranium. In November of 2004 a deal is struck between the EU and Iran to continue to help Iran develop peaceful nuclear power as long as Iran stops production of enriched Uranium. Between 2004 and the end of 2006 Iran completed construction of a heavy water reactor thereby causing the United Nations to ban the “import and export of materials and technology used in uranium enrichment, reprocessing and ballistic missiles” (Gootman, 2006, December 23). In 2011 the United Nations provided credible proof that Iran was working on a nuclear device, this evidence resulted in the strictest sanctions to date. The sanctions prevented Iran from conducting international

Turkey is a Middle Eastern country south of the Mediterranean Sea and west to the Aegean Sea. Turkey main religion is Sunni Muslim with a minority of Sufi Muslims with Christians, Jews and other religions only making up about 0.2 percent of the total population. Turkey is a relatively small country compared to the United States or China with the population of 74 million in 2013 (The World Fact book) In the last 15 years Turkey has made huge leaps and bounds to improve their economy and become a more economy independent country. Turkey as we know today was founded in 1923 from the remnants of the defeated Ottoman Empire by Mustafa Kemal (“Father of the Turks”). In the 1950’s