ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the post-cold war Turkish-American relationship within the context of the Middle East, and the region to include the Caucasus and Central Asia as well. The Turkish-American relationship in the post– World War II era dates to Soviet leader Josef Stalin's threats to both Greece and Turkey and the promulgation of the Truman Doctrine in March 1947. The 2003 Iraq war dealt Turkish-American relations a serious blow, primarily because Turkey refused to allow a second northern front against Baghdad and the concomitant transit of US troops through its territory. A new, self-confident Turkish foreign policy—which emphasized its centrality in global affairs, pushed for preeminence in adjoining regions, and disagreed sharply with Washington on critical issues—had emerged. The war in Iraq and the Justice and Development Party (AKP) ascendancy in Turkey have created some distance between them.
