Mapping the Fault Lines in Turkey-US Relations - by Kilic Bugra Kanat (Hardcover)

About the Book

"For the last seventy years, experts have tried to define the nature of Turkey's partnership with the US. While Turkish-US relations have always been susceptible to different crises, they enjoyed a brief "golden era" in the 1950s. This book argues that a false nostalgia about that period - when the strategic interests of two countries fully converged - has distorted analyses by scholars and policymakers ever since. To provide a more accurate assessment, this book look at the patterns of crises between the two countries throughout history and how these relate to the current points of tension in Turkish-American relations today. It coins a new conceptual framework to understand the Turkey-US partnership: the "vulnerable partnership". The book outlines the key causes of this vulnerability, showing that for the last 70 years, there have been recurring frictions and faultlines that have been repeated across different political periods. These especially involve the US congress, public opinion, Russia, and crises in the Middle East. Based on journalistic, archival and scholarly sources, the topic of the book is at the intersection foreign policy studies, Middle East politics, the history of Turkish-American relations, and foreign policy making"--

Book Synopsis

For the last seventy years, experts have tried to define the nature of Turkey's partnership with the US. While Turkish-US relations have always been susceptible to different crises, they enjoyed a brief "golden era" in the 1950s. This book argues that a false nostalgia about that period - when the strategic interests of two countries fully converged - has distorted analyses by scholars and policymakers ever since. To provide a more accurate assessment, this book look at the patterns of crises between the two countries throughout history and how these relate to the current points of tension in Turkish-American relations today. It coins a new conceptual framework to understand the Turkey-US partnership: the "vulnerable partnership". The book outlines the key causes of this vulnerability, showing that for the last 70 years, there have been recurring frictions and faultlines that have been repeated across different political periods. These especially involve the US congress, public opinion, Russia, and crises in the Middle East. Based on journalistic, archival and scholarly sources, the topic of the book is at the intersection foreign policy studies, Middle East politics, the history of Turkish-American relations, and foreign policy making.

Review Quotes

Mapping the Fault Linesis an invaluable guide to the complex relationship between the United States and Turkey. By weaving together deft interpretation of the historical roots of the relationship with keen analysis of recent developments, Kanat deepens our understanding of why the U.S.-Turkey partnership is at once resilient and durable, yet also chronically troubled.
Charles A. Kupchan, Professor, Georgetown University and Council on Foreign Relations, USA

Kilic Kanat's work on U.S.-Turkish relations advances our understanding of one of the world's most important, yet complicated bilateral relationships. His masterful review of the issues in that relationship will enlighten many in the foreign affairs field who attribute the strains in the relationship, be it over Russia or U.S. cooperation in Syria with the PKK-linked Syrian Democratic Forces, mainly to Ankara's actions. Washington's missteps from Ankara's standpoint are ably documented. I am left optimistic by his analysis, as the first step in bridging divides is to understand their nature. Here Kilic has made a notable contribution.
James F. Jeffery, Chair of the Middle East Program, Wilson Center, USA

Mapping the Fault Lines" is a pivotal work in the study of the U.S.-Turkey relationship, an area of study which has profound and practical importance for U.S. foreign policy but which does not receive the attention it deserves. The book illuminates the intricate blend of strengths and weaknesses that characterize the partnership between Ankara and Washington. In an era where American leadership faces dangerous new challenges, "Mapping the Fault Lines" provides us with the guide we need not just to better US-Turkish relations but also to better ties with other regional powers, especially when their objectives might diverge from our own on some issues. With his exceptional expertise, insight, and background, Kilic Kanat is indisputably the most competent authority to guide us on this issue.
Michael Doran Senior Fellow and Director, Hudson Institute, USA

About the Author

Kilic Bugra Kanat is Research Director at the SETA Foundation in Washington DC, US, and Professor of Political Science at Penn State University, Erie, US. He received the Outstanding Research Award and Council of Fellows Faculty Research Award from Penn State and has participated in the Future Leaders Program of Foreign Policy Initiative. Kanat's writings have appeared in Foreign Policy, Insight Turkey, The Diplomat, Middle East Policy, Arab Studies Quarterly, Mediterranean Quarterly, Journal of South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, and Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs. He is also a columnist at Daily Sabah and author of A Tale of Four Augusts: Obama's Syria Policy (2016).