Lost In Translation: A System-Level Analysis of the Turkish-U.S. Alliance under the Obama and Trump Administrations

Authors : Helin SARI ERTEM, Radiye Funda KARADENİZ

Pages : 7-38

View : 16 | Download : 10

Publication Date : 2019-10-01

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Through a system-level analysis, this study argues that the recent divergences between  Ankara and Washington deserve a macro-level approach as they are actually a  direct outcome of U.S. confusion over its future direction. Looking for a new grand  strategy that will determine the U.S. position in world politics, Washington keeps  sending Turkey mixed signals and the two allies are often lost in translation while  trying to gain each other’s support to fulfil their national priorities. Different than  various other studies on Turkish-American relations, this article makes a unique  contribution to the field by focusing mainly on systemic variables while analyzing  U.S. relations with Ankara, which have followed a fluctuating course during the  Obama and Trump  administrations. It argues that the deteriorating relations are  actually a result of the American retrenchment in the Middle East and its pivoting  to Asia due to the world’s shifting center of gravity from the West to the East with  the rise of China.
Keywords : Turkish American relations, Syria, PYD YPG, offshore balancing, surrogate warfare, China