MIDDLE EAST FOREIGN POLICY OF TURKEY AND THE USA: CONFLICTING AND OVERLAPPING VALUES OVER THE EXAMPLES OF IRAQ AND SYRIA

It would not be wrong to describe the Middle East Region as one of the most moving, disorganized, most unstable, conflict-lasting regions in the last century. This picture brings humanitarian, political and economic consequences on micro and macro scale. This structure of the region brings the actors in and out of the region sometimes side by side, and sometimes in a confronting manner based on the nature of the events. The last events happening specifically in Iraq and Syria have pit Turkey, which is a regional actor and clearly articulates its desire to become a global actor, against the USA, which is a global actor. The discourse and action differences of these two countries, which are strategic partners and alliances, have continued to increase and finally came to the point where a number of terrorist organizations, which are the enemies of Turkey, and the USA have come side by side. In this study, the discourse and action differences of the two actors will be determined especially in terms of Iraq and Syria. It will be analyzed how these differences constitute areas of competition and political conflict between the two actors.