ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the concepts covered in the preceding chapters of this book. The book argues that at the time security concerns related to domestic rather than external pressures and risks were primarily driving the Turks closer to the US. It suggests that for Turkish leaders it became imperative to move again closer to the US primarily because of the collapse of the economic statism model which produced dire economic consequences that in combination with other domestic factors shook the Turkish social and political system. It has tried to map, in a broad outline, the parameters that, to our mind, determined the evolution of the bilateral relationship - with a focus on the Middle East strategic context, which have not been adequately examined in the mainstream literature. Students of Turkey's foreign policy underline that one of the central elements of Turkey's dominant strategic culture, which is rooted in the history of the republic, is strong commitment to independence.
