Obama, Romney, and the Future of Turkey-United States Relations

GPoT Policy Brief (GPoT Center) No. 34, October 2012, 11 p.

by Frank Lin *

The 2012 American presidential election features two candidates, incumbent President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney, with contrasting foreign policy visions for the United States, particularly with regards to the Middle East. How could these differences between the two candidates affect bilateral relations between the United States and Turkey, which—aside from Israel—is generally seen by the United States as its most stalwart ally in the Middle East? This paper will examine the recent history of bilateral relations between Turkey and the United States, from the George W. Bush administration to the Obama administration, as well as current issues surrounding relations between the two countries. It will also explore how the predicted policies of each candidate could impact the future course of bilateral relations between Turkey and the United States.

* Frank Lin is a 2010 Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Chicago, where he studied Philosophy and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations.

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