Muslim Ally in a Post Nine-Eleven World: Turkey, Perceptions and US Economic Policy.

In recent years the United States has rebuffed Turkey’s requests for a U.S.?Turkish free trade agreement. This is despite a strategic partnership between the two countries that has lasted more then 50 years. Although the Bush administration demanded Turkey’s cooperation for its 2003 Iraq policy and maintains its emphasis on liberalizing trade to spread our values around the world, economic issues with Turkey have not moved forward. US relations with Muslim states overall have been fairly weak and negatively impacted by US public perceptions. The events of 9/11 contribute to this deterioration and the extent to which public perceptions of Muslim states influence US foreign policy toward Turkey has not been adequately investigated. In the case of Turkey, recent US backing of IMF loans appear to provide economic support for a strategic partner while avoiding bilateral economic agreements that might provoke negative public opinion. This paper investigates the impact of US perceptions on US-Turkish economic relations by drawing on cognitive-psychological and discursive approaches to analyze the impact these images and beliefs have had on failed US-Turkish bilateral agreements and subsequent US-backed IMF loans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]