Soviet Policy Toward Turkey Iran And Afghanistan

With the end of Cold War discipline the world has entered a new era. Parameters have changed; new handicaps as well as new opportunities have been created for countries. Turkey as a neighbor of former USSR, a member of NATO and located at the center of a sensitive region covered by Caucasus, Balkans and Middle East, has been affected by the end of Cold War radically. Turkey has lost some of her bargaining cards in the new era and therefore has needed new arguments. This need encouraged Turkey to take active steps in Post Cold War era. This book analyzes Turkey s relations with US, EU, Balkans, Middle East, Caucasus, Central Asia, Russia, China and Japan. At the same time, effects of economic crises and domestic developments on foreign policy, Turkish model in Turkish foreign policy, water conflict and Kurdish problem are analyzed as well. To conclude, it is possible to argue that although Turkey lost some of her bargaining cards in Post Cold War era, new developments pushed Turkey to the center of world politics rather then to periphery. Contributors: Meliha Benli Altunisik, Deniz Ülke Aribogan, Hüseyin Bagci, Idris Bal, Zeyno Baran, Fulya Kip Barnard, Erol Bulut, Ibrahim S. Canbolat, Saziye Gazioglu, Ramazan Gözen, Saban Kardas, H. Bülent Olcay, Cengiz Okman, Henry E. Paniev, Victor Panin, Dirk Rochtus, Faruk Sönmezoglu, Gül Turan, Ilter Turan, Mustafa Türkes, Nasuh Uslu.

This is a collective volume on Soviet-American relations with the three rimland states of Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. The contributors argue that what happens in these three states would ultimately affect the states in the Gulf and the Middle East. The USA maintains friendly relations only with Pakistan, while her relations with Iran and Afghanistan are antagonistic. The future penetration of the Soviet influence in Iran and Afghanistan is assessed and probable scenarios are discussed by the seventeen contributors, who represent the military, diplomacy and academia. The concluding chapter synthesizes the discussions and the criticism of various papers. The book is the most up-to-date thorough analysis of superpower relations with the three neighbouring states of the Soviet Union currently available.

Volodarsky (Russian and East European studies, Tel Aviv U.) argues that the new Soviet Union continued Imperial Russia's policy of controlling its southern neighbors through promises and threats.