Turkey: A necessary ally in a troubled region The new U.S. administration will face daunting challenges to the international liberal order, ranging from a fragile European Union rocked by the United Kingdom's exit, to a cold war-like rivalry with Russia and instability in the Middle East. A long-standing member of NATO, Turkey stands as a front-line state in the midst of many of these challenges. Yet, Turkey is failing to play a more constructive role in supporting this order, beyond caring for nearly 3 million refugees, and its leadership is in frequent conflict with its Western allies. As a result, many in the West now question whether Turkey functions as a dependable ally for the United States and other NATO members. Despite these problems, Kemal Kirisci's new book argues that domestic and regional realities are now edging Turkey toward improving its relations with the West. A better understanding of these developments will be critical in devising an updated U.S. strategy toward Turkey and its neighborhood. Western policymakers must keep in mind three on-the-ground realities that might work to their advantage. First, Turkey remains deeply integrated within the transatlantic community, a fact that has imbued it with prestige in the region. It is this prestige that the recent trajectory of Turkey's foreign policy has squandered; for it to be regained, Turkey needs closer cooperation with the West. The second reality is that chaos in the neighborhood has resulted in the loss of lucrative markets for Turkish exports-which, in return, increases the value to Turkey of the Western markets. Third, Turkish national security is threatened by developments in Syria and the state of affairs with Russia, enhancing the value of Turkey's "troubled alliance" with the West. However, the big question is whether rising authoritarianism in Turkey will stop and its democracy be restored before fault lines can be overcome and constructive re-engagement between the two sides can occur. In light of these realities, this book discusses the challenges and opportunities for the next U.S. administration of re-engaging with a sometimes-troublesome, yet long-time ally.
Kemal Kirisci is the TUESIAD senior fellow and director of the Center on the United States and Europe's Turkey Project at Brookings, with an expertise in Turkish foreign policy and migration studies. His previous books include The Consequences of Chaos: Syria's Humanitarian Crisis and the Failure to Protect(Brookings, 2015).
1. Turkey and the West: A Troubled Alliance 2. Turkey and the Transatlantic Alliance in the Cold War Era, 1947-91: From Blissful Honeymoon to Fragile Alliance 3. The Post-Cold War Years, 1991-2017 4. The Rise of the AKP and Turkey's Exposure to Liberal Democracy 5. Skepticism and Identity: Gains and Losses from Turkey's Integration into the Transatlantic Community 6. The Politics of Regression 7. Turkey's Foreign Policy: The Rise and Fall of Soft Power 8. Turkey's Future in the Transatlantic Alliance: Three Scenarios Appendix: The Davutoglu Doctrine Notes Acknowledgments Index
"Turkey and the West is an exceptionally timely volume, and Kemal Kirisci, director of the Turkey Project at the Brookings Institution, is well-placed to write it. It is a thoughtful reflection on changes in Turkish domestic policies and foreign policy and Turkey's place in Western institution."-Paul Kubicek, Turkish Studies "Kemal Kirisci is one of the most distinguished scholars of contemporary Turkish affairs and his latest book is a masterly survey of the recent relationship between Turkey and the West."-Asian Affairs "What Kemal Kirisci accomplishes in his most recent work is an insightful analysis of Turkey's history and its foreign policy by-products through the lens of the current security quandary. . . . his book offers the most authoritative work available."-Naval War College Review "Kemal Kirisci's book is a timely contribution whose purpose is to explain the recent crisis between Turkey and the U.S.-led order."-Insight Turkey "Turkey's increasingly authoritarian direction and growing tensions with the United States and Europe raise questions about the future of its longstanding alliance with the West. No one trying to think about that future should fail to read Turkey and the West. Kirisci does not think Turkey is 'lost' to the West, but he is honest about the negative trends affecting the partnership and the huge challenges it faces."- Philip Gordon, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs and White House Coordinator for the Middle East "Once lauded as a model for the Muslim world, Turkey is now one of the most problematic members of the Western alliance. Nonetheless, as this penetrating study shows, Turkey's international role is still of critical importance. This thorough and detailed survey points up the vital links between Turkey's domestic politics and foreign policy, combining meticulous scholarship with balanced judgments and admirable clarity."- William Hale, Emeritus Professor of Politics, University of London, and author of Turkish Foreign Policy since 1774 "A masterful account of the variable fortunes of political and economic liberalism in Turkey by one of the most insightful analysts of that vitally important country. Kirisci makes the compelling argument that both Turkey and its Western interlocutors have much to lose unless the liberal underpinnings of their transatlantic alliance are reinforced."-Malik Mufti, Professor of Political Science, Tufts University, and author of Daring and Caution in Turkish Strategic Culture: Republic at Sea "An authoritative analysis of Turkey's complex and changing relations with the U.S. and Europe. A veteran and perceptive observer of Turkish foreign policy, Kirisci avoids simplistic and alarmist accounts of these developments and, instead, probes deep into their underlying causes. He also provides thoughtful policy recommendations to improve the current state of affairs in Turkey's relations with the U.S. and Europe. A major contribution to the extant literature on the topic." -Sabri Sayari, Emeritus Professor of Political Science, Sabanci University, Istanbul
