America’s Relationship with Turkey, according to Immanuel Wallerstein

America’s Relationship with Turkey Research Paper

Turkey’s relationship with the United States follows an exploitive streak similar to Wallerstein’s depictions. Current events show that America uses its position as a “core” nation in the global economy to manipulate Turkey, which significantly consolidates the former’s economic gains. As such, American exploitation of Turkey through an attempted coup and economic sanctions aims at exploiting the country, although the latter resists the attempts by allying itself with US rivals.

In recent years, the US-Turkey relationship faces strive as the middle-eastern country accuses the Western state of aggressively interfering with its interests. For example, Turkey views the 2016 coup attempt against its president, Erdogan, as being orchestrated by the United States (Zanotti and Thomas2). Part of the reason was that the Imam leading the failed coup lived under the protection of the United States. Similarly, the attempted ousting follows similar attributes as other uprisings in Arab countries such as Egypt and Syria, coordinated by America to gain control over their resources by installing puppet leaders responsive to US influence (Zanotti and Thomas 2). Therefore, America’s aggressive need to control Turkey’s political and economic environment to serve its interests was thus exploitative, leading to Turkey’s distancing itself from other relations with the US. The U.S.-based corporations and government sought to gain from the interference by exploiting trade deals with Turkey while attempting to gain a strategic advantage over other Arab countries by establishing a military presence in the country. However, Turkey resisted America’s encroachment on its liberties by allying itself with powerful United States rivals such as Russia, resulting in multi-billion trade and military deals (Zanotti and Thomas 1). America responded by imposing sanctions, knowing Turkey’s economic performance depended mostly on diversified global investment and trade, including western countries. Therefore, the US-Turkey relationship exemplifies the exploitive relationship that exists between countries.

America’s use of its “core” country status in the global scene to influence Turkey aimed at getting better trade deals by controlling the political discourse. However, Turkey’s resistance has exposed U. S’s exploitation, thus supporting Wallerstein’s tenets on the exploitative relationship between countries. Therefore, the ramification of the US-Turkey relationship provides contemporary scholars with a better understanding of the effect of interference on international relations.

Work Cited

Zanotti, Jim, and Clayton Thomas. “Turkey: Background and US Relations (Updated).” Current Politics and Economics of the Middle East, vol. 9, no. 2/3, 2018, pp.251-311.