How the Arab Spring is Transforming Turkish American Relations, Fall 2011

Once called the “Model Partnership,” the Turkey-U.S. relations were in a semi-crises mode by the time the Arab Spring began in the early months of 2011. Much of the initial optimism that was created following the mesmerizing bilateral visit by President Obama to Turkey was dented significantly by disagreements over various regional and conceptual issues between the two countries later on. By the beginning of 2011, the uprisings across the greater Middle East have not only challenged those states at where they took place but also others who have vast interests in the region, such as Turkey and the U.S. –whose bilateral ties were also impacted as a result.