If anyone is looking for clues about the current state of Turkish-American relations, the Feb. 10 issue of the Milliyet daily presents an opportunity. The importance of those relations is not limited to the bilateral level; they carry significance for the whole Middle East region and even for the international system in general. The fact that Turkey was the first country to which Barack Hussein Obama paid a bilateral visit as U.S. president in 2009 speaks for itself.
Milliyet became the first Turkish media outlet to get an interview from Obama following his re-election, and splashed it Sunday on its front page. What a U.S. president says and does not say is equally important. Obama’s comments on Iran and Syria contain points and nuances that are of significance for the global political agenda.
