Testing the Strength of the Turkish–American Strategic Relationship through NATO: Convergence or Divergence within the Alliance?

This paper examines how the decades-long Turkish–American strategic relationship through the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has evolved in the post-cold war era. The main research interest of this paper is to assess the evolving nature of the bilateral Turkey–USA relationship through the degree of convergence and divergence in the positions that both countries have adopted on some issues occupying the agenda of the Alliance over the last two decades. The main argument is that both internally driven factors and the changes that have taken place at regional and systemic levels have shaped this relationship. The end of the cold war, the US-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the globalization of American security outlook in the post-9/11 era, Turkey's growing hard and soft power capabilities in its environment, the descent of the Middle East into further instability during the so-called Arab Spring, the rise of the ‘rest’ against the ‘West’ in the global power arena and the role conceptualization of ruling elites in both countries have all contributed to the development of the Turkish–American strategic relationship. Another argument is that interests have become more influential than identity-related considerations in shaping the attitudes of these countries towards each other, particularly within the context of NATO's transformation.