U.S.-Turkey Relations

This Council on Foreign Relations-sponsored Independent Task
Force report examines the various trends in Turkey and assesses their
consequences for U.S. policy toward the country and the region more
broadly. The report begins by taking stock of the modern U.S.-Turkey
relationship, noting strains over the past decade stemming from differences
over policy toward Iraq. The Task Force then considers the
political, social, and economic reforms Ankara has made in recent years
along with threats to further progress. The report also includes a discussion
of Turkey's potential role as a regional energy hub and its growing
importance to foreign policy debates within and beyond its traditional
reach in NATO and Europe.
Within each section of the report, the Task Force offers recommendations
on how the United States can support Turkey's continued
emergence and build a deeper working relationship that acknowledges
Ankara's growing importance. It encourages the United States and
other democracies to urge Turkish leaders to follow through with their
commitment to writing a new constitution that better protects minority
rights and basic freedoms and clearly defines the relationship between
military and civilian authorities.
The Task Force further recommends exploring a Turkish-American
Partnership to deepen trade and economic ties and calls on the two countries
to expand bilateral trade and investment. The Task Force advocates
continued liberalization of Turkish law on intellectual property, tax,
and business regulations. And it calls on the United States to work with
Turkey as it becomes a more important actor in the energy sphere.
There is much the United States can do, the Task Force says, to promote
constructive collaboration in foreign policy, from partnering with
the Turkish development agency on regional aid to supporting Turkey's
burgeoning role as a regional economic engine. Close consultations
are warranted on regional challenges, including stopping the violence
in and bringing political change to Syria and frustrating Iran's bid for
nuclear weapons and regional primacy. American support for rapprochement
between Turkey and Israel is also encouraged.