U.S.-Turkey Relations―A New Partnership

Turkey has long been an important, if underappreciated and poorly understood,American ally. The remarkable changes the country has undergone over the past decade ?economically, politically, and religiously ?have produced new interest and debate about Turkey's future and its relations with the West, in particular with the United States.

Today, Turkey is an influential actor in the Middle East and North Africa. It plays important roles in Afghanistan and Pakistan, is deepening its ties with Russia, and is active in Central Asia. Ankara is also expanding its presence in other parts of Africa and in Latin America, following the lead of Turkish business professionals who have invested in those regions.

This Task Force Report examines a broad range of issues related to Turkish domesticpolitics, the country's economic development, ongoing geopolitical changes in Turkey's neighborhood, and Washington's present approach to Ankara. The report offers a series of recommendations for how the United States can work with Turkey to develop complementary policies to advance mutual interests.

Madeleine K. Albright is chair of Albright Stonebridge Group and chair of Albright CapitalManagement LLC. She is a former U.S. secretary of state. Stephen J. Hadley is a senior adviser for international affairs at the United States Institute of Peace and is also a founding partner of the Rice Hadley Group. He is a former U.S. national security adviser. Steven A. Cook is the Hasib J. Sabbagh Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern studiesat the Council on Foreign Relations.