U.S.-Turkey Strategic Initiative

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) has undertaken a year-long initiative to develop a comprehensive assessment of Turkey’s internal developments and changing relations with its neighbors and the United States.  This assessment will inform a policy report that will propose both a new strategic framework to enhance U.S.-Turkish relations and a plan for its implementation.  This initiative seeks to advance constructive policy recommendations for renewal and long-term management of the U.S.-Turkish relationship.

This CSIS U.S.-Turkey Strategic Initiative involves an interdisciplinary team of CSIS experts on Turkey, Europe, Russia/Eurasia, the Middle East, and international security.  The Strategic Initiative team is led by Stephen J. Flanagan, Senior Vice President and Henry A. Kissinger Chair and includes Bulent Aliriza, Director and Senior Associate, Turkey Project; Jon Alterman, Director and Senior Fellow, Middle East Program; Edward C. Chow, Senior Fellow, Energy and National Security Program; Andrew Kuchins, Director and Senior Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Program; Julianne Smith, Director and Senior Fellow, Europe Program; and Samuel Brannen, Fellow, International Security Program.

The team works in consultation with a wide range of experts and a bipartisan Senior Advisory Group, co-chaired by Zbigniew Brzezinski and Brent Scowcroft, and including a distinguished group of former senior U.S. officials, military officers, and business leaders familiar with Turkey and how the U.S.-Turkish relations fit in a broader context of U.S. strategic interests.  Other members are:
 

• Ambassador Morton Abramowitz, Senior Fellow, The Century Foundation;
   
• Ambassador James H. Holmes, President and CEO, American-Turkish Council;
   
• General James Jamerson (retired, USAF), Vice President for Business Development, Middle East & Africa; 
   
• The Honorable John E. McLaughlin, Senior Fellow, Merrill Center for Strategic Studies, Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University.