August 21, 2023
Turkey Is the Real Key to American Influence in the Middle East
The United States has long viewed its relationship with Saudi Arabia as its most influential partnership in the Middle East. But Turkey is rapidly becoming a regional hegemon, while maintaining close ties to Europe and the U.S. through its NATO membership. With Turkey’s recent shift towards the West, as well as efforts to rebuild relationships with Middle East partners, its strategic importance is growing. If America wants to maintain its political and military power in the region, it needs to take advantage of this rise and forge closer relations with Turkey.
Now it is America’s turn to bolster a stronger relationship with Turkey.
From the U.S. perspective, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been a divisive leader, making formal relations challenging to maintain. His authoritarian and often ruthless leadership runs afoul of Western democratic principles. His unpredictable nature makes policies difficult to anticipate, as he has strained and regained ties with several nations. He maintains a close friendship with Vladimir Putin, yet opposes the war in Ukraine and the Russian-backed Assad regime in Syria. Turkish forces contributed to the war against the Islamic State in Syria, but some of its military incursions there have been a front to fight against the U.S.-backed Kurds, whom Erdoğan considers a threat to his country’s security.
Read the full article and more from The Hill.
More from CNAS
-
The case for an immediate, US-led, stabilization mission in Gaza
A coalition-based military force could secure and hold territory cleared of Hamas by the IDF....
By Jonathan Lord
-
Don’t Lose Focus on U.S. Hostages in Gaza
A rare point of agreement across administrations and political parties is the sacred duty to return Americans from unlawful captivity...
By Daniel Silverberg
-
Russia Is the Loser in the Israel-Hamas War
Whereas Russia was central to the discussions around the Syrian civil war a decade ago, the future trajectory of the Middle East is likely to emerge from the Gaza crisis witho...
By Peter Schroeder
-
Blinken swoops into Iraq to try and stifle a broader Mideast conflict
In an unannounced trip, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken went to Iraq to meet with Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. His aim was to put a stop to drone and ro...
By Jonathan Lord