From Biden to Trump: waning Turkish-American relationship demands greater European engagement

Abstract

President Biden's term is coming to an end. Turkish-American relations have reached a low, with Erdoğan noting that Biden is the first US president with whom he has had no meaningful dialogue. The Erdoğan government believes this is due to the Biden administration's "overemphasis" on democracy and human rights, and hopes that elec­tion of Donald Trump will open a new page. However, the bilateral problems are deeper than Erdoğan realises and relations will remain at a low level for the foresee­able future. Turkey's strategic importance to the United States is in decline not only because of Washington's "pivot to Asia", but also due to Erdoğan's considerable liabil­ities, his waning political credibility, and diverging interests between Ankara and Washington in the region. This steady downturn has direct implications for the Euro­pean Union, which does not have the luxury of downgrading its engagement and will have to take the lead. (author's abstract)