Author: Paulina Matera
Affiliation: University of Lodz (Łódź, Poland)
Organization/Publisher: Digest of Middle East Studies, Wiley Online Library
Date/Place: October 21, 2020
Type of Literature: Journal Article
Number of Pages: 17
Link: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/dome.12218
Keywords: Financial Hegemony, Hegemonic Pressure, Turkey, United States–Turkey Relations, U.S. Sanctions
Brief:
The article discusses the US-Iran tension and its implication on Turkey’s geopolitical imperatives in the Middle East. The Trump administration re-imposed economic sanctions on Iran in 2018 while ignoring the resistance expressed by the European Union and Turkey. On one hand, Turkey has established a close working relationship with the Islamic Republic of Iran, to stabilize its peripheral region. On the other hand, Turkey has strong bilateral relations with the United States of America. Both states have economic interdependencies and strategic cooperation. The dilemma faced by Ankara, due to the Trump administration’s aggressive posture against Iran, has transformed the resisting stance of Turkey regarding the US’ sanctions. The author incorporates hegemonic stability theory proposed by Susan Strange. According to the theory, the hegemon always tends to stabilize the peripheral region in favor of its own hegemonic stability. Therefore, the US took effective measures on a diplomatic front and compelled Turkey to step back from its stance of supporting its direct neighbor Iran. Moreover, due to emerging tensions with Washington DC during 2018, Ankara could not hold its stance and adopted the policy of cooperation and coordination with the hegemon rather than conflictual relations.
By: Muhammad Taimoor Bin Tanveer, CIGA Senior Research Associate
