Russia and Turkey: Approaches to Regional Security in the Middle East
... member, despite the fact that Washington and Ankara have harbored mounting mutual grudges ever since the 2003 war in Iraq [ 18 ]. Relations between the U.S. and Turkey had a direct impact on the rhetoric of the two countries and their actions within NATO, including in terms of the presence of nuclear weapons in Turkey. Tensions began to mount with the onset of the Syrian crisis and the increasing rift between Washington and Ankara with regard to the approaches of the two countries in fighting DAESH. Turkey, for one, was unhappy with the U.S. support for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which are dominated by ...