Tugrul
Keskin
Professor and Directof of the Center for Global Governance
Shanghai University
ABSTRACT:
Turkish
American Relations has been taking a dramatic shift in the first part of Trump administration
as result of several key factors which have created major conflicts between US
National Security strategy and Turkish National Interests. One of the most
important one is the Kurdish Issue which is an existential threat for Turkish
state and society, perceived by Turkish bureaucratic and political elite.
Second important collision is Fethullah Gulen and his movement-followers in
which they have played a vital role to overthrow democratically elected Justice
Development Party and R. T. Erdogan, supported by Washington bureaucratic
elite, inside the beltway. Third factor is directly related with Syrian
conflict and Bashar Al-Assad regime. Forth one is indirectly related with
Turkish re-rapprochement with Russia and China, but this factor is directly
related with the Kurdish issue and conflict with the US. As some academicians
and policy oriented think tank scholars portray, the main conflict between
Turkey and U.S. is not about democracy, human rights and freedom but instead it
is proxy political war between Turkey and US mainly on Kurdish conflict. In
this paper/presentation, I examine root, development and current trajectories
of these factors and analyze the role of the Trump administration in this major
shift between these two NATO allies.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: tugrulkeskin (AT) t.shu.edu.cn
