The Kissinger's Impact on the Turkish-American Relations From the US Perspective (1969-1977)

Dr. Henry Kissinger, 96 years old foreign policy guru served as a national security advisor (1969-1975) and the secretary of state (1973-1977) under two presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. During his term of office, he mostly acted as the sole decision maker of crucial foreign policy issues by convincing and directing both of them to follow his policies. Therefore, he has been regarded as the main actor of American foreign policy decisions taken between 1969 and 1977. Apart that he was able to transform traditional American foreign policy from an era of confrontation into the era of negotiation remarkably. With his unique talent for diplomacy, he achieved to end Vietnam War, eased the tension with two major global player USSR and Chine by using remarkable intellectual capacity, diplomatic skills and experiences. As the avid supporter of American Century ideal, Kissinger had a tangible perception for the place of Turkey in the American world order. He has regarded Turkey as the crucial state for the perseveration of American interest due to her strategic location. Thus, he positioned her more preferable position against Greece that's why he shaped his foreign policy towards Turkey by focusing on three main issues which were Cyprus, anti-Americanism and opium plantation issue. His pro Turkish policies and pro Israelite approach created an opportunity for Turkey to partitioning Cyprus by military campaign after the coup d'état against Makarios in Cyprus on 15th July 1974. In brief this study aims at investigating the impact of Kissinger on Turkish-American relations and presenting the American perspective by using the American archives and sources. By presenting American perspective it shed light on the period which mostly overlooked by academicians so far. Key Words: Kissinger, Turkey, Cyprus, Anti Americanism, Opium