• By - AKPartyUSA
• June 20, 2022
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“The AK Party came to power in the 2002 November election which
gave a single party mandate to the newly founded party. This was
the first time since 1991 that Turkey had a single party government.
In the 11-year period of coalition governments, Turkey had faced
serious government crises coupled with an increasing number of
attacks by the PKK and an economic downturn which led to a major
economic crisis in 2001. This coalition period also overlapped
with the end of the Cold War and the emergence of the “unipolar
moment” in the international system. While the fall of the Soviet
Union and the independence of the Central Asian republics provided
opportunities for Turkey, the absence of sufficient capacity in
the Turkish state and economy resulted in low return in its foreign
policy. Meanwhile, this change in the international system generated
confusion and lack of direction in foreign policy. Especially after
the Gulf War and the rise of PKK activity in the region, a sense of
insecurity and an impression of the unreliability of Cold War allies
became prevalent among foreign policy makers in Turkey. Following
the refusal of the EU to add Turkey to its expansion process
and protests from the ICO following Turkey’s rapprochement with
Israel, Turkish foreign policy makers found it hard to adapt to this
changing international and regional political atmosphere.
During this period, the relationship between Turkey and the
U.S. suffered from an increasing degree of unpredictability and
instability. Although the idea of strategic partnership dominated
the discourse of bilateral relations, there was not much improvement in relations in terms of military and strategic cooperation.
Turkey was uncomfortable with the insufficient support by the
U.S. administration in regards to its fight against the PKK and
unfulfilled promises in the aftermath of the First Gulf War. The
U.S. support for Turkey in regards to the EU accession process was
one of the few positive developments during these years. With the
new millennium two significant shocks generated a new form of
partnership between Turkey and the United States. The U.S. support
following the economic crisis in Turkey and Turkish support
for the United States in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks
helped mend ties and improve the mutual trust between the two
countries. Turkey contributed to the U.S. military operations in
Afghanistan and many started to call the new direction of the bilateral
relationship as a partnership in the war against terrorism.
However, soon after the Afghanistan operation the U.S. administration
started to consider another military operation against Iraq,
which generated significant concern in the international community
and among regional actors, including Turkey. The Turkish
government repeatedly mentioned the necessity of a UN Security
Council resolution in order to provide the legal basis for a military
intervention. However, the coalition government in power demonstrated
signs of unwillingness to support such a military venture,
considering the major adverse effects the first military operation in
1991 had generated for Turkey and its concerns that the proposed
U.S. venture would increase the PKK’s sphere of influence in the
region. Turkish public opinion also showed major opposition to
any form of military operations in the region.
The AK Party won its electoral victory at this critical juncture of
Turkish-American relations. It was a remarkable victory for a newly
founded party and the first big test for the new government was the
decision in regards to the U.S. operation in Iraq. This almanac provides
a synopsis of the bilateral relations between the United States
and Turkey during the past fifteen years of AK Party rule in Turkey,
starting with the March 1 crisis. During this period, AK Party
governments have engaged with different U.S. administrations
headed by presidents from both political parties (Presidents Bush,
Obama and Trump) and different party majorities in the United
States Congress. The relationship has at times undergone very serious
crises and, at others, witnessed significant levels of cooperation.
This almanac will selectively cover the major summits and main
crises that impacted the bilateral relations, including the most important
moments of the relationship between the two nations. We
hope this volume will contribute to the research of observers and
scholars in the field of United States-Turkey relations.”
Burhanettin Duran
SETA General Coordinator