The American people voted on Nov. 5 to elect their next president. The election process, marked by notable developments – including a former president running again and a current president withdrawing to be replaced by a vice president who did not participate in the primaries – has now concluded.

Although this is an election that should concern only the U.S., the country's role in the global system, along with its economic and military power, makes it a matter of concern worldwide regarding the policies the next U.S. president will pursue. Therefore, who the new president will be and what kind of policies he will pursue are being closely monitored by Türkiye. It is certain that Türkiye, like every other country, has certain expectations from the new president and will determine an attitude depending on whether these expectations will be met or not.

I will now address some issues, starting with those that directly concern Türkiye, and I will try to explain what kind of policies the new U.S. president should pursue for the benefit of Türkiye.

CAATSA and the F-35 program

The imposition of military sanctions, specifically the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), on Türkiye for the completely absurd reason that the S-400 air defense systems could access the secret codes of the F-35 fighter jets is one of the problems. Türkiye had to purchase S-400 systems from Russia because it could not obtain air defense systems from NATO member countries despite all its efforts. The exclusion of Türkiye from the F-35 program, in which Türkiye is a founding partner, in connection with this decision, is also incompatible with the alliance. Moreover, Türkiye assured that the S-400 would not have access to the secret codes of the F-35s and offered to establish a joint commission with the U.S. to examine the issue technically. However, since the CAATSA decision was a political choice, rather than a technical one, Türkiye's proposal was not accepted. Therefore, the newly elected U.S. president should overturn the unjust CAATSA decision against Türkiye and invite Türkiye back into the F-35 program and deliver the aircraft that have already been paid for.

FETÖ terrorist organization

It is now an undeniable fact that the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) was behind the failed coup attempt on July 15, 2016. Türkiye sent a comprehensive dossier to the U.S. Department of Justice, requesting the extradition of the now-late Fethullah Gülen, the leader of FETÖ, as well as some members of the organization that it has identified as responsible for the coup attempt. However, the U.S. administration denied the extradition of the leader of this terrorist organization, which caused the death of 251 people and the injury of 2,700 people.

It is therefore unacceptable that the new U.S. president continues to support a terrorist organization that seeks to overthrow the constitutional order in Türkiye. Although Gülen was not extradited before his death, the extradition of other terrorists demanded by Türkiye and the expulsion of the organization from the U.S. would be a good start in improving Turkish-American relations.

Military buildup in the Mediterranean

While the U.S. used to play a balancing role in the problems between Türkiye and Greece, both NATO members, it has moved away from this approach, especially after Biden took office, and has started to openly support Greece. Considering that the military buildup in Greece has not been used against Russia so far, it would be very appropriate for the new U.S. president to abandon the current policy that has the potential to increase tensions between Türkiye and Greece. This is because Greece, with the support of the United States, is using this buildup to arm the islands in violation of international law.

Since the beginning of 2022, when the U.S. withdrew its support for the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Pipeline project, its Eastern Mediterranean policy has become compatible with Türkiye's theses. Even the unilateral Sevilla map proposed by Greece is not accepted by the U.S. Nevertheless, the U.S. has lifted the arms embargo imposed on the Greek Cypriots since 1974 and has signed military agreements with them. In doing so, the U.S. has made it clear that it considers the Greek Cypriots to be the sole representatives of the island and has ignored the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).

Therefore, it would be appropriate for the new U.S. president to act more rationally both on the sharing of hydrocarbon resources in the Eastern Mediterranean by the littoral states and on the two-state solution in Cyprus. Also, Washington should support fair solutions in accordance with international law, instead of supporting the theses of the Greek Cypriot side.

Syrian civil war and PKK

While the U.S. initially aligned itself with Türkiye on the Syrian civil war, since 2013, it has distanced itself from Türkiye's position and left Türkiye alone with Israel's proposal. In fact, it cooperated with the YPG, the Syrian branch of the PKK terrorist organization, and not with Türkiye in the elimination of the so-called Daesh threat, which led to the territorial domination of this organization in northern Syria. Despite all the warnings of Türkiye, the U.S. continues to support the PKK/YPG terrorist organization and even tries to prevent Türkiye's cross-border operations through military embargoes and veiled threats. It seems to be essential for the new U.S. president to listen to the warnings of Türkiye about the situation in Syria and the PKK/YPG and to abandon the scenario of establishing a terrorist state in the south, which is an existential threat to Türkiye, a NATO ally.

Russia-Ukraine war

Although the Russia-Ukraine war, which is approaching its third year, seems to have been a successful move for the U.S. in terms of consolidating NATO, making the European Union more dependent and weakening Russia, at this point it has now become exhausting for both the warring parties and the parties supporting the war militarily and economically. Therefore, it should be kept in mind that further prolongation of the war could lead to the loss of these gains.

Since the beginning of the war, Türkiye has been in contact with both sides and has made great efforts for a possible cease-fire. Türkiye has intensive economic relations with both sides and has suffered great economic losses due to the cessation of agricultural production in Ukraine as well as the sanctions imposed on Russia. For this reason, Türkiye is one of the countries that most wants the war to end. Therefore, if the new U.S. president takes a step to end the Russia-Ukraine war, Türkiye will be the country most pleased by it.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict

The U.S. is undoubtedly the most responsible country for Israel's ongoing attacks on Gaza since Oct. 7 and the genocidal crimes it has committed. Because if the U.S. had not given Israel a blank cheque and stood behind it, Israel would not have been able to go this far. For this reason, the position of the new U.S. president on this issue will be crucial for the future of Türkiye-U.S. relations. It is also crucial that the U.S. sticks to the two-state solution plan and restrains Israel to make it possible. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is at the root of the instability in the region, and there can be no peace in the region until it is resolved. If the new U.S. president gives Israel whatever it wants, including the expansion of its territories, Turkish-American relations will not be able to improve and develop, and peace and stability will not be achieved in the region.

U.S. policy toward Iran

Developments in Iran are closely linked to Türkiye, both as a neighbor and as a major energy supplier. Türkiye wants to continue its long-standing relations with Iran without being subjected to sanctions by the U.S. or any other country. However, the pressure and sanctions imposed on Iran by the U.S. administration, especially on the grounds of Israel's security, have deeply affected us. In addition, we can see that Israel is trying to ensure the collapse of Iran, or at least a regime change, by getting the U.S. to fight Iran. It is certain that such a war would also have a negative impact on Türkiye. Thus, it is essential for Iran's integration into the international system that the new U.S. president signs a nuclear deal with Iran again without falling into Israel's trap. In such a case, Türkiye will get rid of the illegal and groundless lawsuits against it and will be able to develop its economic relations with Iran again.

No matter who is elected...

These are the main issues that will determine whether the newly elected U.S. president will be beneficial or detrimental to Türkiye. Regardless of which party or who the president is, if he/she takes a position in favor of Türkiye's interests on most of the issues listed above, it will show that he/she will be good for Türkiye. However, it is possible to say that the most critical issues in this regard are the end of the U.S. support for the terrorist organizations FETÖ and PKK, the abandonment of the plan to establish a terrorist state in our south, the end of the military presence in Syria and Iraq, the abolition of CAATSA and not provoking Greece and the Greek Cypriots against Türkiye. If the newly elected U.S. president takes a position on these issues in line with the wishes of Türkiye, then we can say that this president is good for Türkiye. Otherwise, no matter who is elected, it cannot be said that this person is, or will be, advantageous for Türkiye.