Flashpoints in U.S.-Turkey Relations in 2021
Getty/AFP/Bakr Alkasem
Turkish soldiers patrol the northern Syrian Kurdish town of Tel Abyad, on the border between Syria and Turkey, on October 23, 2019.
Sam Hananel
Introduction and summary
Relations between Turkey and its Western allies in the United States and Europe have been on a steady downward trajectory for some eight years. While Presidents Donald Trump and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan established a measure of rapport, their highly personalized dealings only papered over the structural differences undermining the relationship. With President Joe Biden unlikely to continue Trump’s laissez-faire approach, several of these simmering disagreements could bubble over in 2021 and lead to a deeper rupture in relations. Beyond the change of tone and approach from a new U.S. administration, several key strategic and energy decisions could determine Turkey’s direction for years to come.