Mending Turkey-US relations

It is becoming more and more apparent that the relationship with the U.S. will dominate our foreign policy agenda in the upcoming years. This issue is not only limited to the widening rift in bilateral relations over the recent period but essentially related to the changing strategic calculations of Washington and Ankara.

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Mending Turkey-US relations
The S-400 factor in Turkey-US negotiations

The S-400 factor in Turkey-US negotiations

Turkey's decision to purchase Russian S-400 air defense system has become a major sticking point with the U.S. While Turkey attaches great importance to procuring the air defense system, U.S. policymakers, who consider Turkey's decision a complete deviation from its traditional alliance system, have begun to threaten the country.

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While many focus nowadays on the S-400/F-35 tensions taking place in Turkish-American relations, another issue, namely Syria, is being discussed at the highest levels among officials from the two countries. For the last eight years, the divergence of policies in regards to the crisis in Syria has become one of the most significant irritants in bilateral relations.

New developments fuel tensions between Washington and Ankara. Despite U.S. President Donald Trump's promises to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan over the phone, no problem has yet gone away. Quite the contrary, the foreign policy establishment and Congress continue to try and undermine bilateral relations.

For the last several years one of the most frequently written topics in regards to U.S. relations with its allies have been the future of its partnership with Turkey.

Turkish-American relations are strained again ahead of the delivery of S-400 air defense systems from Russia. In their Moscow meeting at the beginning of the week, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed the plan to deliver the first set of S-400 air defense systems to Turkey in early July.

The resurgence of regional chaos and instability

The Middle East has been experiencing turmoil since the Arab Spring uprisings and revolutions. A process of counterrevolution started with the military coup in Egypt in 2013. Much of the regional mayhem stems from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi-led efforts to reverse the democratization process initiated with the Arab uprisings and discourage any popular demands.

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The resurgence of regional chaos and instability
US keeps pressuring Turkey against Russian S-400 deal

US keeps pressuring Turkey against Russian S-400 deal

US suspends F-35 program with Turkey to protest what Turkish officials call 'done deal' for purchase Russian S-400s

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The government sees the post-election years as an opportunity to follow a more proactive foreign policy and implement structural reforms in the economy

As the last remaining Daesh territory is on the verge of elimination, a worrying number of Daesh militants, mostly women and their children, have surrendered themselves to the People's Protection Units (YPG).

What is the context of the decision? What does this decision mean for Israel and for Netanyahu? What are the possible implications of the decision?

Turkey will hold municipal elections tomorrow. The People's Alliance and the Nation Alliance have worked very hard to win over undecided voters and maximize turnout.

Which natural resources did the YPG seize control of after its engagement with the U.S.? What is the extent of YPG-controlled natural resources and what is the YPG’s energy trade capacity? How important are these resources?

When the French and the British carved up the Middle East, the Golan Heights was part of the French mandate. It was not part of the Palestinian territories, where the Israelis claimed their authority. And after the mandate was abolished for the current nation-states, the Golan Heights was naturally left for Syria.

Local elections in Turkey are taking on the character of general elections as foreign policy comes to dominate the conversation.

In the last few weeks, we have seen an intensification of debates about Turkey's S-400 purchase in the Western media.

The final two weeks of any election campaign fuels the momentum that settles the score. Leaders and candidates, therefore, put their best foot forward in the final days before the election. Turkey finds itself at that very spot now. The municipal election is just 10 days away.

In the last few years, it has become commonplace to question the future of the alliance between Turkey and the U.S. Some pundits emphasized the various disagreements between the two countries to indicate that the alliance has weakened and does not have the same strategic weight it used to have in previous decades.

As expected, the municipal election campaign in Turkey has ended up bogged down in national issues.

The United States mounts pressure on Turkey over its decision to purchase the S-400 air defense system from Russia. The Turks already told Washington that the S-400 purchase was a done deal, yet U.S. officials keep trying.

Turkish security forces thwarted attempts made by terror group from east of Euphrates River in Syria over past weeks