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2020’ lerde Türk Dış Politikası: “Nazik Bir Dev” mi?

Year 2025, Volume: 7 Issue: 1, 81 - 98, 26.07.2025

Abstract

Türkiye, 2020'lerde bölgesindeki konjonktürü etkilemek için sert güç bileşenlerini kullanmaktan kaçınmamaktadır. Bu sert güç araçlarının kullanılmasının farklı seviyeleri vardır: Ukrayna örneğinde olduğu gibi çatışmanın bir tarafına askeri teçhizat üretmek ve sağlamak; Dağlık Karabağ sorunu ve Libya'da olduğu gibi askeri teçhizat üretmenin ve sağlamanın yanı sıra teknik yardım sağlamak; Doğu Akdeniz sorununda olduğu gibi diğer taraflara karşı durmak, meydan okumak ve caydırmak için askeri güç kullanmak ve Suriye örneğinde olduğu gibi sınır ötesi askeri operasyonlar yürütmek. Türkiye'yi nazik bir dev yapan şey, sert güç kullanımıyla/sonrasında gelenlerdir. Türkiye'nin çıkarlarının sert güç kullanımıyla veya sert güç kullanılmasından sonra tatmin edildiği düşünülürse, Türk dış politikası bölgede barış ve refaha yönelik mesajlar göndermeye başlamaktadır. Bunu yaparak söz konusu ülkelere Türkiye'nin daha fazla şiddetli çatışma veya bu ülkelerin egemenliklerini ihlal edecek faaliyetler arzu etmediği gösterilmektedir.

References

  • Aksu, K. (Ed.). (2013). Turkey: A Regional Power in the Making. UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
  • Arı, T., and Munassar, O. (2020). Two Stages of Turkey’s Quest for a Regional Power Status in the Middle East: An Integrated Role- Status-seeking Approach. Gazi Akademik Bakış, 14(27). 1-29.
  • Aydın, M. (2004). Kafkasya ve Orta Asya’yla İlişkiler. Baskın Oran (ed.) in Türk Dış Politikası Kurtuluş Savaşından Bugüne Olgular, Belgeler, Yorumlar Cilt II: 1980-2001. İstanbul: İletişim Yayınları. 366-440.
  • Aydın, M. (2013). Kafkasya ve Orta Asya’yla İlişkiler, Baskın Oran (ed.) in Türk Dış Politikası Kurtuluş Savaşından Bugüne Olgular, Belgeler, Yorumlar Cilt III: 2001-2012. İstanbul: İletişim Yayınları. 463-531.
  • Cagaptay, S. (2023). Unpacking Turkey’s Non-Binary Ukraine War Policy. Hoover Institution. Retrieved from https://www.hoover.org/research/unpacking-turkeys-non-binary-ukraine-war-policy (Access date: 12 November 2024)
  • Delgado-Caicedo,J. and Guzmán-Cárdenas, J. A. (2023). Emerging Powers A radical change in the global hierarchy of power, in J. Delgado-Caicedo (ed.) Handbook of Regional Conflict Resolution Initiatives in the Global South (pp. 9-24). New York: Routledge.
  • Dictionary.com. (n.d.) Gentle giant. retrieved from https://www.dictionary.com/browse/gentle-giant (Access date: 10 November 2024).
  • Erdoğan, A. (2021). The Legal and Political Dimensions of the Eastern Mediterranean Crisis: What Is at Stake?, Insight Turkey (23/1). 77-98.
  • Gürzel, A. (2014). Turkey’s Role as a Regional and Global Player and its Power Capacity: Turkey’s Engagement with other Emerging States. Revista de Sociologia e Politica, 22 (50), June 2014. 95-105.
  • Güzeldere, E. E. (2023). From successful mediator to partisan actor – back to successful mediator?. J. Delgado-Caicedo (ed.) in Handbook of Regional Conflict Resolution Initiatives in the Global South (pp. 76-90). New York: Routledge.
  • International Crisis Group. (2023). Rethinking Gas Diplomacy in the Eastern Mediterranean. Retrieved from https://www.crisisgroup.org/sites/default/files/2023-04/240-east-med-gas-diplomacy.pdf (Access date: 16 November 2024)
  • International Monetary Fund. (n.d.). GDP, current prices. Retrieved from https://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/NGDPD@WEO/OEMDC/ADVEC/WEOWORLD. (Access date: 5 December 2024)
  • Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Power. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/power (Access date: 1 November 2024)
  • Morgenthau, H. J. (1954). Politics Among Nations: The Struggle for Power and Peace (3rd ed). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
  • Nolte, D. and Schenoni, L. L. (2024). To lead or not to lead: regional powers and regional leadership. International Politics, (61). 40-59.
  • Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries. (n.d.). Power. Retrieved from https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/definition/english/power_1?q=power (Access date: 1 November 2024)
  • Ozberk, T. (2024) Türkiye Launches Second MILGEM Corvette for Ukraine. NavalNews. Retrieved from https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2024/08/turkiye-launches-second-milgem-corvette-for-ukraine/ (Access date: 12 November 2024)
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  • Parlar Dal, E. (2016). Conceptualising and testing the ‘emerging regional power’ of Turkey in the shifting international order. Third World Quarterly, (37/8). 1425-1453.
  • Presidency of The Republic of Türkiye Directorate of Communications. (2023). Türkiye’ nin Terörizmle Mücadelesi (Türkiye’s Fight Against Terrorism). Ankara: Publications By Presidency’s Directorate Of Communications. Retreived from: https://www.iletisim.gov.tr/images/uploads/dosyalar/TurkiyeninTerorizmleMucadelesi.pdf (Access date: 20 November 2024)
  • Presidency of The Republic of Türkiye Directorate of Communications. (2024). Erdoğan, Esad ile görüşme konusunda umutlu olduğunu ifade etti. Retrieved from https://www.iletisim.gov.tr/turkce/dis_basinda_turkiye/detay/erdogan-esad-ile-gorusme-konusunda-umutlu-oldugunu-ifade-etti (Access date: 24 November 2024)
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  • Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Foreign Affairs b. (n.d.). No: 152, 30 July 2024, Regarding the Fifth Meeting of the Special Representatives for the Normalization Process between Türkiye and Armenia. Retrieved from https://www.mfa.gov.tr/no_-152_-turkiye-ermenistan-normallesme-sureci-ozel-temsilcilerinin-besinci-toplantisi-hk.en.mfa (Access date: 12 November 2024)
  • Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Foreign Affairs c. (n.d.). Relations between Türkiye–Syria. Retrieved from https://www.mfa.gov.tr/relations-between-turkiye%E2%80%93syria.en.mfa (Access date: 21 November 2024)
  • Rossiter, A. and Cannon, B. J. (2022). Turkey’s rise as a drone power: trial by fire, Defense & Security Analysis, 38:2. 210-229.
  • Schmidt, B. C. (2005). Competing Realist Conceptions of Power. Millennium - Journal of International Studies 2005 (33:3). 523-549.
  • Stewart-Ingersoll, R. and Frazier, D. (2012). Regional Powers and Security Orders A theoretical framework. New York: Routledge.
  • Taşbaş, A. and Giragosian, R. (2022). Acts of normality: The potential for Turkey-Armenia rapprochement, retrieved from European Council on Foreign Affairs, https://ecfr.eu/publication/acts-of-normality-the-potential-for-turkey-armenia-rapprochement/ (Access date: 10 November 2024)
  • Veliyev, C. (2023). Azerbaijan-Türkiye Military Relations In The Shadow Of The Negotiations With Armenia. Turkeyscope: Insights on Turkish Affairs, 7: 4.
  • World Population Review. (n.d.). Military Strength Index by Country 2024. Retrieved from https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/military-strength-index-by-country (Access date: 5 December 2024)
  • Worldometer a. (n.d.). Countries in the world by population (2024). Retrieved from https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/population-by-country/ (Access date: 5 December 2024)
  • Worldometer b, (n.d.). Largest Countries in the World (by area). Retrieved from https://www.worldometers.info/geography/largest-countries-in-the-world/ (Access date: 5 December 2024)
  • Yalçın, H. B. (2012). The Concept of “Middle Power” and the Recent Turkish Foreign Policy Activism. Afro Eurasian Studies, (1:1). 195-213.
  • Yalçınkaya, H. (2021). Turkey’s Overlooked Role in the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, German Marshall Fund of the United States. retrieved, from https://www.gmfus.org/news/turkeys-overlooked-role-second-nagorno-karabakh-war (Access date: 11 November 2024)
  • Yeşilyurt, N. (2013). Orta Doğu’yla İlişkiler. Baskın Oran (ed.), in Türk Dış Politikası Kurtuluş Savaşından Bugüne Olgular, Belgeler, Yorumlar Cilt III: 2001-2012, İstanbul: İletişim Yayınları. 401-462.

TURKISH FOREIGN POLICY IN 2020s: DESIGNED FOR A “GENTLE GIANT”?

Year 2025, Volume: 7 Issue: 1, 81 - 98, 26.07.2025

Abstract

Türkiye does not refrain from utilizing its hard power components to influence the conjecture in its region in the 2020s. The utilizing of hard power instruments has different levels: producing and providing military equipment to one side of the conflict as in the Ukrainian case; in addition to producing and providing military equipment, providing technical assistance as in the Nagorno-Karabakh issue and Libya; using military power to confront, standoff and deter other parties as in Eastern Mediterranean question and, conducting extraterritorial military operations as in Syria case. What makes Türkiye a gentle giant is what comes with/after the utilization of hard power. If Türkiye’s interests are considered to be satisfied with/after the usage of hard power, Turkish foreign policy starts to send messages towards peace and prosperity in the region. By doing so, it tries to ensure the countries in question that Türkiye has no interest in further violent conflict or has the ambition to violate their sovereignty.

References

  • Aksu, K. (Ed.). (2013). Turkey: A Regional Power in the Making. UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
  • Arı, T., and Munassar, O. (2020). Two Stages of Turkey’s Quest for a Regional Power Status in the Middle East: An Integrated Role- Status-seeking Approach. Gazi Akademik Bakış, 14(27). 1-29.
  • Aydın, M. (2004). Kafkasya ve Orta Asya’yla İlişkiler. Baskın Oran (ed.) in Türk Dış Politikası Kurtuluş Savaşından Bugüne Olgular, Belgeler, Yorumlar Cilt II: 1980-2001. İstanbul: İletişim Yayınları. 366-440.
  • Aydın, M. (2013). Kafkasya ve Orta Asya’yla İlişkiler, Baskın Oran (ed.) in Türk Dış Politikası Kurtuluş Savaşından Bugüne Olgular, Belgeler, Yorumlar Cilt III: 2001-2012. İstanbul: İletişim Yayınları. 463-531.
  • Cagaptay, S. (2023). Unpacking Turkey’s Non-Binary Ukraine War Policy. Hoover Institution. Retrieved from https://www.hoover.org/research/unpacking-turkeys-non-binary-ukraine-war-policy (Access date: 12 November 2024)
  • Delgado-Caicedo,J. and Guzmán-Cárdenas, J. A. (2023). Emerging Powers A radical change in the global hierarchy of power, in J. Delgado-Caicedo (ed.) Handbook of Regional Conflict Resolution Initiatives in the Global South (pp. 9-24). New York: Routledge.
  • Dictionary.com. (n.d.) Gentle giant. retrieved from https://www.dictionary.com/browse/gentle-giant (Access date: 10 November 2024).
  • Erdoğan, A. (2021). The Legal and Political Dimensions of the Eastern Mediterranean Crisis: What Is at Stake?, Insight Turkey (23/1). 77-98.
  • Gürzel, A. (2014). Turkey’s Role as a Regional and Global Player and its Power Capacity: Turkey’s Engagement with other Emerging States. Revista de Sociologia e Politica, 22 (50), June 2014. 95-105.
  • Güzeldere, E. E. (2023). From successful mediator to partisan actor – back to successful mediator?. J. Delgado-Caicedo (ed.) in Handbook of Regional Conflict Resolution Initiatives in the Global South (pp. 76-90). New York: Routledge.
  • International Crisis Group. (2023). Rethinking Gas Diplomacy in the Eastern Mediterranean. Retrieved from https://www.crisisgroup.org/sites/default/files/2023-04/240-east-med-gas-diplomacy.pdf (Access date: 16 November 2024)
  • International Monetary Fund. (n.d.). GDP, current prices. Retrieved from https://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/NGDPD@WEO/OEMDC/ADVEC/WEOWORLD. (Access date: 5 December 2024)
  • Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Power. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/power (Access date: 1 November 2024)
  • Morgenthau, H. J. (1954). Politics Among Nations: The Struggle for Power and Peace (3rd ed). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
  • Nolte, D. and Schenoni, L. L. (2024). To lead or not to lead: regional powers and regional leadership. International Politics, (61). 40-59.
  • Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries. (n.d.). Power. Retrieved from https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/definition/english/power_1?q=power (Access date: 1 November 2024)
  • Ozberk, T. (2024) Türkiye Launches Second MILGEM Corvette for Ukraine. NavalNews. Retrieved from https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2024/08/turkiye-launches-second-milgem-corvette-for-ukraine/ (Access date: 12 November 2024)
  • Özcan, G. (2012). Policy of Zero Problems with the Neighbours. IEMed: Mediterranean yearbook, 2012. 59-63.
  • Parlar Dal, E. (2016). Conceptualising and testing the ‘emerging regional power’ of Turkey in the shifting international order. Third World Quarterly, (37/8). 1425-1453.
  • Presidency of The Republic of Türkiye Directorate of Communications. (2023). Türkiye’ nin Terörizmle Mücadelesi (Türkiye’s Fight Against Terrorism). Ankara: Publications By Presidency’s Directorate Of Communications. Retreived from: https://www.iletisim.gov.tr/images/uploads/dosyalar/TurkiyeninTerorizmleMucadelesi.pdf (Access date: 20 November 2024)
  • Presidency of The Republic of Türkiye Directorate of Communications. (2024). Erdoğan, Esad ile görüşme konusunda umutlu olduğunu ifade etti. Retrieved from https://www.iletisim.gov.tr/turkce/dis_basinda_turkiye/detay/erdogan-esad-ile-gorusme-konusunda-umutlu-oldugunu-ifade-etti (Access date: 24 November 2024)
  • Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Foreign Affairs a. (n.d.) “Relations between Türkiye and Armenia”. Retrieved from https://www.mfa.gov.tr/relations-between-turkiye-and-armenia.en.mfa (Access date:12 November 2024)
  • Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Foreign Affairs b. (n.d.). No: 152, 30 July 2024, Regarding the Fifth Meeting of the Special Representatives for the Normalization Process between Türkiye and Armenia. Retrieved from https://www.mfa.gov.tr/no_-152_-turkiye-ermenistan-normallesme-sureci-ozel-temsilcilerinin-besinci-toplantisi-hk.en.mfa (Access date: 12 November 2024)
  • Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Foreign Affairs c. (n.d.). Relations between Türkiye–Syria. Retrieved from https://www.mfa.gov.tr/relations-between-turkiye%E2%80%93syria.en.mfa (Access date: 21 November 2024)
  • Rossiter, A. and Cannon, B. J. (2022). Turkey’s rise as a drone power: trial by fire, Defense & Security Analysis, 38:2. 210-229.
  • Schmidt, B. C. (2005). Competing Realist Conceptions of Power. Millennium - Journal of International Studies 2005 (33:3). 523-549.
  • Stewart-Ingersoll, R. and Frazier, D. (2012). Regional Powers and Security Orders A theoretical framework. New York: Routledge.
  • Taşbaş, A. and Giragosian, R. (2022). Acts of normality: The potential for Turkey-Armenia rapprochement, retrieved from European Council on Foreign Affairs, https://ecfr.eu/publication/acts-of-normality-the-potential-for-turkey-armenia-rapprochement/ (Access date: 10 November 2024)
  • Veliyev, C. (2023). Azerbaijan-Türkiye Military Relations In The Shadow Of The Negotiations With Armenia. Turkeyscope: Insights on Turkish Affairs, 7: 4.
  • World Population Review. (n.d.). Military Strength Index by Country 2024. Retrieved from https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/military-strength-index-by-country (Access date: 5 December 2024)
  • Worldometer a. (n.d.). Countries in the world by population (2024). Retrieved from https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/population-by-country/ (Access date: 5 December 2024)
  • Worldometer b, (n.d.). Largest Countries in the World (by area). Retrieved from https://www.worldometers.info/geography/largest-countries-in-the-world/ (Access date: 5 December 2024)
  • Yalçın, H. B. (2012). The Concept of “Middle Power” and the Recent Turkish Foreign Policy Activism. Afro Eurasian Studies, (1:1). 195-213.
  • Yalçınkaya, H. (2021). Turkey’s Overlooked Role in the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, German Marshall Fund of the United States. retrieved, from https://www.gmfus.org/news/turkeys-overlooked-role-second-nagorno-karabakh-war (Access date: 11 November 2024)
  • Yeşilyurt, N. (2013). Orta Doğu’yla İlişkiler. Baskın Oran (ed.), in Türk Dış Politikası Kurtuluş Savaşından Bugüne Olgular, Belgeler, Yorumlar Cilt III: 2001-2012, İstanbul: İletişim Yayınları. 401-462.
There are 35 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Turkish Foreign Policy
Journal Section Research Articles
Authors

Emre Kalay 0000-0002-5068-0791

Publication Date July 26, 2025
Submission Date May 23, 2025
Acceptance Date July 26, 2025
Published in Issue Year 2025 Volume: 7 Issue: 1

Cite

APA Kalay, E. (2025). TURKISH FOREIGN POLICY IN 2020s: DESIGNED FOR A “GENTLE GIANT”? Novus Orbis: Siyaset Bilimi Ve Uluslararası İlişkiler Dergisi, 7(1), 81-98.
AMA Kalay E. TURKISH FOREIGN POLICY IN 2020s: DESIGNED FOR A “GENTLE GIANT”? Novus Orbis: Siyaset Bilimi ve Uluslararası İlişkiler Dergisi. July 2025;7(1):81-98.
Chicago Kalay, Emre. “TURKISH FOREIGN POLICY IN 2020s: DESIGNED FOR A ‘GENTLE GIANT’?”. Novus Orbis: Siyaset Bilimi Ve Uluslararası İlişkiler Dergisi 7, no. 1 (July 2025): 81-98.
EndNote Kalay E (July 1, 2025) TURKISH FOREIGN POLICY IN 2020s: DESIGNED FOR A “GENTLE GIANT”? Novus Orbis: Siyaset Bilimi ve Uluslararası İlişkiler Dergisi 7 1 81–98.
IEEE E. Kalay, “TURKISH FOREIGN POLICY IN 2020s: DESIGNED FOR A ‘GENTLE GIANT’?”, Novus Orbis: Siyaset Bilimi ve Uluslararası İlişkiler Dergisi, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 81–98, 2025.
ISNAD Kalay, Emre. “TURKISH FOREIGN POLICY IN 2020s: DESIGNED FOR A ‘GENTLE GIANT’?”. Novus Orbis: Siyaset Bilimi ve Uluslararası İlişkiler Dergisi 7/1 (July2025), 81-98.
JAMA Kalay E. TURKISH FOREIGN POLICY IN 2020s: DESIGNED FOR A “GENTLE GIANT”? Novus Orbis: Siyaset Bilimi ve Uluslararası İlişkiler Dergisi. 2025;7:81–98.
MLA Kalay, Emre. “TURKISH FOREIGN POLICY IN 2020s: DESIGNED FOR A ‘GENTLE GIANT’?”. Novus Orbis: Siyaset Bilimi Ve Uluslararası İlişkiler Dergisi, vol. 7, no. 1, 2025, pp. 81-98.
Vancouver Kalay E. TURKISH FOREIGN POLICY IN 2020s: DESIGNED FOR A “GENTLE GIANT”? Novus Orbis: Siyaset Bilimi ve Uluslararası İlişkiler Dergisi. 2025;7(1):81-98.