ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to analyse the relations between Turkey and the US in terms of the factors of continuity and change that have historically applied and shaped them. The fluctuations which have been regularly observed in Turkey-US relations in the wake of the US war against Iraq have their roots in the perceived differences between the two states concerning their international identity, places and functions in the post-Cold War international systemic structure. The basic disagreements as to how to best meet the common threats that cause this disarray stem from the different priorities of the two states as local and global actors, a fact evident in their historical relations. Even during periods when co-operation and co-ordination in their foreign policies seemed at their zenith, such as at the height of the Cold War in the 1950s and in the Afghanistan phase of the post-September 11 period, their relations were not immune from such disagreements.
