TURKEY'S INTENSIFYING PARTNERSHIP WITH QATAR AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR TURKISH-AMERICAN RELATIONS

The blossoming of relations between Turkey and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) traces its roots back to the United States-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, which laid the ground for Turkey's growing involvement in the Gulf. However, Turkish-GCC dialogue has recently transformed into a Turkish-Qatari partnership, concretized largely through a military agreement signed by both nations in December 2014, which paved the way in December 2015 for a second agreement on the establishment of a Turkish military base in Qatar. This article investigates the course of this new relationship between Turkey and Qatar with reference to discussions held in the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA). It also explores possible implications for relations between Turkey and the United States, with a specific focus on United States Congressional hearings from 2014 to 2016.