"Managing a More Assertive Turkey
Interviewee:
F. Stephen Larrabee, Distinguished Chair in European Security, RAND Corporation
Interviewer:
Bernard Gwertzman, Consulting Editor, CFR.org
June 3, 2010
Turkey's recent diplomatic differences with the United States and its sharpened deterioration of relations with Israel come from Turkey's desire to reestablish its role as a major influence in the Middle East and Central Asia, says F. Stephen Larrabee, an expert on Turkey at the RAND Corporation. 'Turkey is returning to a more traditional role, one in which it was closely involved in the Middle East for centuries, going back to the Ottoman Empire,' says Larrabee. He says the days when Turkey was a 'junior partner' of the United States are over."
More:Managing a More Assertive Turkey - Council on Foreign Relations