U.S.-Turkey Strategic Initiative

The U.S.-Turkey Strategic Initiative sought to advance constructive policy recommendations for energizing the U.S.-Turkey relationship.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) carried out 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 informed a policy report that proposed both a new strategic framework to enhance U.S.-Turkish relations and a plan for its implementation.  The initiative sought to advance constructive policy recommendations for renewal and long-term management of the U.S.-Turkish relationship.

This CSIS U.S.-Turkey Strategic Initiative involved an interdisciplinary team of CSIS experts on Turkey, Europe, Russia/Eurasia, the Middle East, and international security.  The Strategic Initiative team was 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, former Director and Senior Fellow, Europe Program; and Samuel Brannen, former Fellow, International Security Program.

The team worked in consultation with a wide range of experts and a bipartisan Senior Advisory Group, co-chaired by Zbigniew Brzezinski and Brent Scowcroft, and included 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 were:

  • 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.