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.