Whether the next president is a Democrat or Republican, they will likely not share the personal relationship that Obama maintains with Erdoğan

The coming collapse of US-Turkey relations

Michael Rubin

On the sidelines of the Foreign Ministry’s recent Ambassador’s Conference in Izmir, Namik Tan, Turkey’s ambassador to the United States, toldToday’s Zaman that relations between the two countries has never been better. Such descriptions of bilateral ties have been a staple of diplomatic talk for years. Speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations in April 2010, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu called bilateral ties a “modeled partnership…not an ordinary strategic partnership, something special.” American officials also praise Turkey effusively. “Turkey is a vital and strategic partner of the United States,” Condoleezza Rice declared on April 15, 2008. Paul Wolfowitz often spoke of an “indispensable partnership” between Washington and Ankara. Not only John Kerry, but also Condoleezza Rice and James Baker visited Turkey during their first trips abroad as secretary of state. Hillary Clinton did not, but she made it to Turkey on her second foreign trip. President Barack Obama himself has identified Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as one of the few foreign leaders with whom he has developed “friendships and the bonds of trust.”

Tan may be right about the close ties between the White House and the Başbakanlık Konutu, but officials in Ankara should not kid themselves: Beneath the rhetorical embrace, the foundation of the U.S.-Turkish partnership is in danger.

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