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Chill in US-Turkey Ties Will Pass

Semih Idiz analyzes the latest exchanges between the US and Turkey and sees no lasting damage to bilateral ties.
U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Francis Ricciardone (L, with white hair) speaks to media outside of the U.S. Embassy in Ankara February 1, 2013. A suicide bomber from a far-left group killed a Turkish security guard at the U.S. embassy in Ankara on Friday, blowing the door off a side entrance and sending smoke and debris flying into the street. The attacker blew himself up inside U.S. property, Ankara Governor Alaaddin Yuksel said. The blast sent masonry spewing out of the wall and could be heard a mile away. REU

Anyone learning about the subject of Turkish-American relations only this week would be forgiven for assuming that these two countries don't have much love for each other and are headed towards a serious crisis threatening their tenuous ties. They'd be justified in making this assumption, given all the barbs exchanged between Ankara and Washington over these past few days.

But looked at from the perspective of over half a century of strategic and political ties, which have had their ups and downs, any suggestion that Turkish-US ties are in peril would be off the mark. Both countries now rely on each other more than ever, especially in view of the volatility in the Middle East.

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