Turkey S Foreign Policy In Transition

This book expands upon transitions in political and societal fabric of Turkey together with its eventual reorientation of foreign policy in broader regional and global contexts during the Justice and Freedom Party era.

Recent years have seen dramatic changes in the nature, direction, and impact of Turkey¿s foreign relations in its neighborhood¿a region that encompasses Europe, the Middle East, the Black and Caspian Seas, and the Caucasus. The authors of this original collection explore those changes, the causes behind them, and their impact on Turkey¿s ties with its traditional allies in the West.

The ongoing turbulence in Turkey's domestic and international politics raises a number of crucial questions. What explains the movement toward one-party, and even one-person, rule? What role does Islam play in the ideology and policies of the ruling party and its leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan Is the country's long commitment to secular rule a thing of the past - and if so, with what consequences for Turkish society? What is Turkey's likely international role in the Middle East and beyond? These are among the key issues addressed in this comprehensive analysis of the actors and factors driving recent developments in Turkish politics at home and abroad.

A comprehensive analysis of the actors and factors driving recent developments in Turkish politics at home and abroad.

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.