ABSTRACT
Often labeled as an emerging regional power, Turkey has adopted a more proactive, self-assertive, and multi-dimensional foreign policy in the last decade. A new foreign policy understanding and the country’s economic growth have strengthened Turkey’s role as a regional power especially in the Middle East, South Caucasus, and the Balkans. Recently, Turkey has been ranked as the seventeenth global economic power and is a member of the G-20 (Group of 20 major economies) seeking to build new alliances with BRICS. This transformation has important implications for Washington, among other international powers. Through a detailed process-tracing this chapter examines Turkish–American relations since the twentieth century together with the changing power structures in the international system. The analysis demonstrates a significant paradox: Turkey’s rising influence in its neighborhood, which has been facilitated by the changes in the international system, renders Turkey both a valuable ally and a challenge to Washington.
