Turkiye In The Mena Region

Bog om Tyrkiet i relation til Mellemøsten. Småt trykt. Litteraturhenv. s. 118.

This volume examines contemporary political relations between Turkey and the Middle East. In the light of the Arab Uprisings of 2011, the Syria Crisis, the escalation of regional terrorism and the military coup attempt in Turkey, it illustrates the dramatic fluctuations in Turkish foreign policy towards key Middle Eastern countries, such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria and Iraq. The contributors analyze Turkey’s deepening involvement in Middle Eastern regional affairs, also addressing issues such as terrorism, social and political movements and minority rights struggles. While these problems have traditionally been regarded as domestic matters, this book highlights their increasingly regional dimension and the implications for the foreign affairs of Turkey and countries in the Middle East.

Turkey's foreign policy under the rule of President Recep Tayipp Erdogan has gone from "Zero- Problems" vision to interverntion in all the regional conflicts. What is next for Turkey? This article briefly exaplains through the lens of "Realism" as a major theory of International relations the motivations of Turkey's intervention in all the regional conflicts in the MENA region.

In the aftermath of the Great Recession in 2008-09, the European economies were dramatically affected. The UK (United Kingdom) economy could not completely recover, and loss of employment soared. The unemployment rate increased from 5.26 percent in 2007 to around 8.04 in 2011, which is a remarkable change for a developed economy like the UK. Afterward, British citizens started to accuse migrant workers from the EU countries of stealing their jobs. At this point, it should be noted that, in the 2010s, an annual average of more than 100 thousand EU citizens migrated to the UK for work. Along with these developments, in 2013, David Cameron—the Conservative Prime Minister of the coalition government from 2010 to 2015—promised a referendum on leaving the European Union if his party wins the election in 2015. When the Conservative Party won the election in 2015 and took office with no coalition partners, the referendum was held on 23 June 2016, which resulted in 51.9 percent of the votes in favor of leaving the EU. After the referendum and following the negotiation period with the EU, the UK officially left the European Union, a process known as “Brexit”, on 31 January 2020. The name “Brexit” comes from the combination of two words: Britain and exit. Note that Britain–referring to Great Britain–and the UK are used interchangeably in the Brexit literature, however, there is a difference between these two specifications. Britain encompasses the geographical areas of England, Scotland and Wales, whereas The UK includes Northern Ireland in addition to Britain. There is also the term British Isles, which refers to all the areas belonging to the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Following the exit, many countries have stressed the possible impacts the exit would have on their economies. Even if the UK and the EU sign a free trade agreement that abolishes taxes or customs duties, the trade volume will be affected negatively. That is because the EU countries will be required from now on to do some extra paperwork to be able to import from or export to the UK. For some goods, exporters will need to get some special licenses and certificates. Before Brexit, international trade between the EU and the UK had been like a domestic trade without any bureaucracy, which has come to an end. Also, the free trade agreement does not prevent either side from imposing tariffs on imported goods in the future. In addition, labor mobility will be limited because of the visa requirements for the citizens traveling between the EU and the UK. Therefore, the coming period poses many threats to the relations between European and British economies.

Turkey’s Middle East policy has transformed in recent years and is now more involved in the region, employs more soft power tools and actively engages in third party roles in regional conflicts. Turkey has improved its relations with bordering states as a result of its “zero problems with neighbors” policy. This paper examines the elements of a new Turkish foreign policy in the Middle East and focuses on the reasons for its evolution as well as its structural conditions and political leadership. In discussing these factors this paper aims to identify the circumstances that have created an opening for change. It is argued that those structural conditions which emerged at the beginning of the new millennium coincided with a strategic political leadership that led to this transformation. It is also emphasized that “pull factors” have been important for a new Turkish engagement with the Middle East. Perspectives on Turkey in the region have become more positive in recent years. However, different actors in the Arab world have different perceptions of Turkey and its importance for the region. Some focus on Turkey as a strategic asset in the constantly shifting and highly volatile regional balance of power, while others perceive Turkey more as an important economic partner and critical for the debates on political reform in the region. Finally, this paper focuses on the issue of sustainability of Turkish foreign policy in the Middle East in the face of certain challenges, especially the so-called “Arab Spring”, which has presented difficulties for Turkey in light of the instabilities in various Arab countries and has challenged Turkey’s political and economic interests. The AKP government’s policy towards the region has therefore been evolving and during its first term it positioned itself outside of the polarizations and conflicts in the region and firmly tied its policy to the EU accession process. Such a policy was not only good for Turkey – providing political and economic opportunities – it was also beneficial for the Middle East. However, since 2008 the AKP government’s policy has begun to shift slightly and Turkey would appear to have become more involved in regional polarizations, particularly in relation to Israel and Iran. The weakening of the EU anchor has further contributed to Turkey’s entanglement in the Middle East and the challenge now for Turkey has grown since the geo-political conditions that made Turkey more active in the region have changed. Ultimately, the success of Turkish diplomacy in the Middle East will depend on how far it will manage to respond to the momentous transformations taking place in the region.