TURKISH-AMERICAN RELATIONS FROM THE LENS OF ALLIANCE THEORY

Date

2026-1-28

Author

Erdoğan, Ege Mert

Metadata

Show full item record

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Item Usage Stats

961
views

0
downloads

Cite This

The purpose of this study is to examine the strategic cooperation and crises between Turkey and the US from 1947 to 2020. For the most part, strategic relations started after World War II and were strengthened during the Cold War through military and economic aid. The relationship of the two nations deepened after Turkey sent forces to the Korean War and then became a part of NATO in 1952. Though numerous events and situations of conflicting interests, such as the Johnson Letter in 1964, the opium crisis in the late 1960, and the US arms embargo after Turkey's intervention in Cyprus, caused tensions in the alliance. After the end of the Cold War, the 1991 Gulf War, and the US policies in Northern Iraq, a new phase was initiated, amplifying Turkey's security concerns. The threat perceptions shifted from the collapsed Soviet Union to other actors. Turkey's refusal to support the US in the 2003 Iraq War and the US involvement with the PYD/YPG in the Syrian Civil War further complicated relations. The 2016 coup attempt in Turkey and the dispute over the extradition of Fethullah Gülen intensified tensions. Turkey's purchase of the Russian S-400 defense system and exclusion from the F-35 program further increased divergence within the alliance. Therefore, cooperation and conflict have coexisted as persistent features of the relationship. This thesis analyzes the core dynamics of the strategic relationship between the two countries, along with the recurrent breaking points. It concludes that, despite historical ties, Turkey–US relations fluctuate due to security crises, yet are reshaped by strategic interests.

Subject Keywords

Balance of Threat Theory, Turkish-American Relations, Alliance Politics, Cold War, Middle East

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/118372

Collections

Graduate School of Social Sciences, Thesis