Renewing Strategic Alignment between Turkey, the United States, and NATO - Oya Dursun Özkanca
The video highlights the growing convergence of interests between Turkey, the United States, and NATO amid shifting geopolitical realities. With the ousting of Bashar al-Assad in late 2024, a new window of opportunity has opened for cooperation on regional stability in the Middle East. Speakers emphasize how Ankara and Washington now share common goals in countering threats, stabilizing Syria, and responding to renewed Russian aggression. Turkey’s active role in supporting Ukraine and opposing Moscow’s provocations—such as drone attacks on European cities—further underscores this renewed alignment.
Following years of tension over its removal from the F-35 Joint Fighter Program, Turkey has sought to rebalance its position within the alliance. It has expanded defense and security cooperation with countries across the Balkans, Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and the Gulf. These partnerships have strengthened Turkey’s strategic autonomy while reinforcing its defense industry and regional influence. By diversifying partnerships and emphasizing indigenous production, Ankara has increased its flexibility to act both within and alongside NATO frameworks.
Turkey’s continued membership in NATO remains a cornerstone of its strategic posture. The alliance provides institutional credibility and technical interoperability that make Turkish defense systems attractive to non-NATO states. This compatibility has supported Turkey’s growing reputation as a reliable defense partner, with its drone technology notably contributing to Ukraine’s battlefield success. The video concludes that Turkey’s evolving defense cooperation and pragmatic diplomacy are positioning it as a pivotal bridge between NATO allies and emerging regional partners.
Speaker Biography
Oya Dursun Özkanca (PhD, University of Texas at Austin) is Endowed Chair of International Studies, Professor of Political Science, and Director of the Honors Program and International Studies Minor at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania. Her research focuses on Turkish foreign policy, transatlantic security, the European Union, the Eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Europe, and peace operations. She is the author of Turkey–West Relations: The Politics of Intra-alliance Opposition (Cambridge University Press, 2019) and The Nexus Between Security Sector Reform/Governance and Sustainable Development Goal-16 (DCAF/Ubiquity Press, 2021), and editor of several volumes on European security. In Fall 2021, she was a visiting scholar at Harvard University’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. Dr. Özkanca has received numerous awards for teaching, research, and service, including the Ranck Prize for Research Excellence and the Honors Professional of the Year Award from the Northeast Regional Honors Council (2025).
