Another crisis between the allies: the opium crisis and the arms embargo

Abstract

This thesis historically analyzes the opium issue and the arms embargo in 1975 between the Republic of Turkey and the United States of America through the theory of asymmetric relations. The central focus is American coercion over Turkey on the opium issue, and the arms embargo is not a result of American imperialism, but a consequence of asymmetry in the bilateral relations. This thesis is based on archival primary sources, such as diplomatic correspondence, secondary sources from the existing literature, and a theoretical framework. The main purpose of this thesis is to provide a deeper understanding of the Turkish-American relations and to prevent conceptual ambiguity between imperialism and asymmetric relations. The main argument is that American coercion is not an act of imperialism but an act of the senior partner over the junior partner in an asymmetric relationship.