Troubled partnership : U.S.-Turkish relations in an era of global geopolitical change / F. Stephen Larrabee.

"Prepared for the United States Air Force."

"RAND Project Air Force."

Includes bibliographical references (pages 127-138).

The U.S.-Turkish security partnership in transition -- Iraq and the Kurdish challenge -- The broader Middle East -- Russia and Eurasia -- The European dimension -- U.S.-Turkish defense cooperation -- The domestic context -- Alternative Turkish futures -- Conclusion: Revitalizing the U.S.-Turkish relationship.

A strong security partnership with Turkey has been an important element of U.S. policy for the last five decades. However, in the last few years, U.S.-Turkish relations have seriously deteriorated, and today they are badly in need of repair. The arrival of a new administration in Washington presents an important opportunity to put Washington's relations with Ankara on a firmer footing. Turkey plays a critical role in four areas of increasing strategic importance to the United States: the Balkans, Central Asia and the Caucasus, the Middle East, and the Persian Gulf. In each of these areas, Ankara's cooperation is vital to achieving U.S. policy objectives.