In a 95-page report titled “Recalibrating US Global Relationships,” the Center for American Progress recommends that the country “actively deleverage itself from its relationship with Turkey, especially on security matters” in the first 100 days.
“The next administration should work to actively deleverage itself from its relationship with Turkey, especially on security matters. While Turkey will remain a major player in both the Middle East and Europe, the next administration should send early signals that it will be taking a new approach. In the first 100 days, the next administration should:
- Remove U.S. nuclear weapons from Turkey. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has sought to chart a more independent course with less deference to traditional Western security partners. He has adopted a transactional approach toward relations with the United States and Europe and deepened ties with Iran, China, and Russia. Turkey is choosing a more independent, assertive path. The next administration should recognize this reality and adapt. That does not mean lurching to a purely punitive approach—but given the depth of corruption and autocracy in Turkey, it does mean the United States should work to reduce its reliance on Ankara. As a first step, the next administration should work to quietly remove all nuclear weapons from Incirlik Air Base. And it should be done immediately, without a lengthy interagency review, to allow the administration to attempt to rebuild relations from a more realistic foundation.
- Launch a broad U.S. policy review on Turkey.This review should address all dimensions of the relationship, including security, economic, and diplomatic relations. The goal should be to craft a more realistic and updated strategy for dealing with a more assertive Turkey that is willing to take unilateral action and defy alliance norms.
Reset U.S. relationships with Gulf partners
The United States has had long and complicated relationships with many of its Gulf partners, especially Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Qatar. The Trump administration has essentially written a blank check to some of these partners, resulting in disastrous consequences for U.S. interests, deepened humanitarian crises, and long-term moral implications for U.S. policy.12 While practical cooperation will be necessary to deal with everything from Iran’s destabilizing behavior to Arab-Israeli peace, and even COVID-19, the next administration should take stock of whether U.S. interests are being well served by the status quo and take some early steps to signal a new approach. In the first 100 days, the next administration should:
- QUICK WIN: Suspend U.S. military assistance and arms sales to Saudi Arabia related to the war in Yemen. The next administration should immediately suspend arms sale and U.S. military assistance, in line with bipartisan congressional legislation, to countries engaged in the destructive war in Yemen that has resulted in untold devastation and civilian atrocities. It should also suspend U.S. operational and targeting support to the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.
- QUICK WIN: Dispatch the secretary of state to visit key Gulf partners. The next administration should task the secretary of state with engaging on a new regional diplomatic strategy, including expressions of U.S. support for emerging Gulf-Iran diplomatic channels, conflict resolution and humanitarian relief in Yemen, efforts to mend the rift within the Gulf Cooperation Council, and expanded Iraq-Gulf ties.
- Launch a review of U.S. military posture in the Gulf region to consider how to more effectively and sustainably deter Iran in the context of other global priorities. It is increasingly clear that more U.S. military presence in the region is not necessarily deterring Iran. This review should assess the U.S. military footprint with an eye toward a more defensive posture that provides necessary core deterrence but that relies more heavily on Gulf partners’ self-defense.
- Launch a review of U.S. military posture in the Gulf region to consider how to more effectively and sustainably deter Iran in the context of other global priorities. It is increasingly clear that more U.S. military presence in the region is not necessarily deterring Iran. This review should assess the U.S. military footprint with an eye toward a more defensive posture that provides necessary core deterrence but that relies more heavily on Gulf partners’ self-defense.
- Convene deputies to recommend options for holding Saudi Arabia responsible for the death of lawful U.S. resident Jamal Khashoggi. The next administration should hold a deputies-level meeting to consider U.S. government intelligence and other information regarding the 2018 death of U.S. permanent resident and journalist Jamal Khashoggi and recommend options for taking punitive steps to hold responsible Saudi leadership accountable.”
SOURCE: https://cdn.americanprogress.org/content/uploads/2020/10/17035739/NSIP100-5-GlobalRelationships.pdf