Turkey as a New Security Actor in the Middle East: Beyond the Slogans

Abstract

The article argues that Turkish foreign policy has moved beyond slogans. An overview of Turkey’s relations with Syria, Iraq, Iran and Israel shows that Turkey is increasingly more relaxed, mature and flexible in its foreign policy, and is constantly enhancing its repertoire of policy tools. As far as security is concerned, relying mainly on soft power, Turkish strategy is closer to the European strategy in that it tries to look to the security of whole population groups and their general welfare. Turkey’s domestic transformation, consolidation of democracy and economic growth have been major factors in the formulation of this new foreign policy and in the emergence of Turkey as a trading power, stabilizing force and peace-promoter in the region. Nevertheless, it is also seen that Turkey is now mature enough to employ different strategies in its relations with regional actors and in dealing with security issues

Keywords

• Turkey, Turkish foreign policy, Middle East, Security, Ahmet Davutoğlu.

References

1. Ömer Taşpınar, “Turkey’s Middle East Policies between Neo-Ottomanism and Kemalism”, Carnegie Papers, No. 10 (September 2008), p.8.
2. Tarık Oğuzlu, “Is There a Shift of Axis in Turkish Foreign Policy?”, at http://orsam.org.tr/en/ showArticle.aspx?ID=274 [last visited 11 March 2011].
3. See, Martin Lenore, “Turkey and Gulf Cooperation Council Security”, Turkish Studies, Vol. 10, No. 1 (March 2009), pp. 75- 93.
4. Bülent Aras, “The Davutoğlu Era in Turkish Foreign Policy”, SETA Policy Brief, No. 32 (May 2009).
5. Hasan Kösebalaban, “The Crisis in Turkish-Israeli Relations: What Is Its Strategic Significance?”, Middle East Policy, Vol. 17, No. 3 (Fall 2010), pp. 26-50.
6. İhsan Dağı, “The Liberal Turn in Turkish Foreign Policy”, Today’s Zaman, 23 February 2009.
7. Morton Abramowitz and Henri J. Barkey, “Turkey’s Transformers”, Foreign Affairs, Vol. 88, No. 6 (November/ December 2009), pp. 118-128.
8. Ahmet Davutoğlu, “Turkey’s Foreign Policy Vision: An Assessment of 2007”, Insight Turkey, Vol. 10, No. 1 (January- March 2008), pp. 77-96.

9. William Hale, “Turkey and the Middle East in the ‘New Era’”, Insight Turkey, Vol. 11, No. 3 (July- September 2009), pp. 143-159.
10. Dağı, “The Liberal Turn in Turkish Foreign Policy”.
11. Cengiz Çandar, “İki Türkiye; İkisi de Türkiye...”, Radikal, 30 June 2010; Sami Kohen, “Dış Politikada Yeni ‘Sektör’: Arabuluculuk”, Milliyet, 9 February 2010.
12. See, http://www.akparti.org.tr/disiliskiler/ortadogu-_1144.html (last visited 4 April 2011).
13. Suat Kınıklıoğlu, “Neo-Ottoman’ Turkey?”, at http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/ kiniklioglu2/English [last visited 5 March 2011].
14. “Gulf, Turkey Hold New Round of Partnership Talks”, Hürriyet Daily News, 18 November 2010.
15. Edward Erickson, “Turkey as a Regional Hegemon- 2014: Strategic Implications for the United States”, Turkish Studies, Vol. 5, No.3 (2004), pp. 25-45.
16. Ahmet Davutoğlu’s speech at Dede Park Hotel, Eskişehir, 15 May 2011.
17. International Crisis Group, Turkey and the Middle East: Ambitions and Constraints, Europe Report No. 203, 7 April 2010.
18. Data complied from www.worldbank.org and various sources.
19. Graham E. Fuller, “Turkey’s Strategic Model: Myths and Realities”, The Washington Quarterly, Vol. 27, No.3 (Summer 2004), pp. 51–64.
20. Davutoğlu, “Turkey’s Foreign Policy Vision: An Assessment of 2007”.
21. “Erdoğan Arap Birliği Zirvesinde İsrail’i Eleştirdi”, at www.bbc.co.uk/turkce/haberler/ [last visited 20 March 2011].
22. Cengiz Çandar, “Turkey’s Soft Power Strategy: A New Vision for a Multi-Polar World”, SETA Policy Brief, No. 38 (December 2009).
23. Roger Cohen, “Turkey Steps Out”, New York Times, 25 October 2010.
24. International Crisis Group, Turkey and the Middle East.
25. Meltem Müftüler-Baç and Deniz Başkan, “The Future of Energy Security for Europe: Turkey’s Role as an Energy Corridor”, Middle Eastern Studies, Vol. 47, No. 2 (March 2011), pp. 361-378.
26. Stephen F. Larrabee, “Turkey’s New Geopolitics”, Survival, Vol. 52, No. 2 (April- May 2010), pp. 157- 180.
27. See, Çandar, “Turkey’s Soft Power Strategy”.
28. Ömer Taşpınar, “The Turkish Model and the Arab World (1)”, Today’s Zaman, 3 July 2011.
29. Kemal Kirişci, “Turkey’s “Demonstrative Effect” and the Transformation of the Middle East”, Insight Turkey, Vol. 13, No. 2 (April- June 2011), pp. 33-55.
30. Çandar, “Turkey’s ‘Soft Power’ Strategy”.
31. Meliha Altunışık and Esra Cuhadar, “Turkey’s Search for a Third Party Role in Arab- Israeli Conflicts: A Neutral Facilitator or a Principal Power Mediator?”, Mediterranean Politics, Vol. 15, No. 3 (November 2010), pp. 371-392.
32. “Turkey, Syria Vow Cooperation will Repel Terrorism in the Region”, Today’s Zaman, 4 October 2010.
33. See, Özlem Tür, “Turkish-Syrian Relations- Where Are We Going?”, UNISCI Discussion Papers, No. 23 (May 2010), pp. 163-175.
34. Whereas in the case of Libya, for example, the Turkish government received both internal and external criticism for not openly criticizing Qaddafi and opposing a NATO intervention when the Arab Spring hit that country.
35. International Crisis Group, Turkey and the Middle East.
36. Mustafa Akyol, “A Bit Closer to the Axis of Evil?”, Hurriyet Daily News, 24 August 2010.
37. Cengiz Çandar, “The Kurdish Question: The Reasons and Fortunes of the “Opening”, Insight Turkey, Vol. 11, No. 4 (October- December 2009), pp. 13-19.
38. Larrabee, “Turkey’s New Geopolitics”. Abramowitz and Barkey, pp. 118-128.
39. For Turkey’s position with regard to the Turcoman, see for example, Abdullah Gül, “Turkey: Vital Ally in the Cause of Long-Term Stability”, American Foreign Policy Interests, Vol. 29, No.3 (May 2007), pp. 175-181.
40. International Crisis Group, Turkey and the Middle East. Çandar, “The Kurdish Question”.
41. Ersel Aydınlı and Nihat Ali Özcan, “The Conflict Resolution and Counterterrorism Dilemma: Turkey Faces its Kurdish Question”, Terrorism and Political Violence, Vol. 23, No.3 (2011), pp. 438-457.
42. Hale, “Turkey and the Middle East in the ‘New Era’”.
43. Serdar Poyraz, “Turkish-Iranian Relations: A Wider Perspective”, SETA Policy Brief, No. 37 (November 2009).
44. F. Stephen Larrabee, “Turkey Rediscovers the Middle East”, Foreign Affairs, Vol. 86, No.4 (July/August 2007), pp. 103-114.
45. Murat Yetkin, “Erdoğan’ın ABD’ye İran Uyarısı”, Radikal, 12 January 2010.
46. Mensur Akgün, “Davutoğlu Ne Yapmaya Çalışıyor?”, Referans, 12 July 2010.
47. Mehmet Özkan, “Turkey-Brazil Involvement in Iranian Nuclear Issue: What is the Big Deal?”, Strategic Analysis, Vol. 35, No.1 (January 2011), p. 26-30
48. Mehmet Ali Birand, “Erdoğan, İran için Neden Bu Kadar Risk Alıyor?”, Posta, 16 April 2010.
49. As it is highly likely that the Iranian nuclear program will cause a race to acquire nuclear weapons among influential regional players it will also have a further destabilizing effect for the area.
50. Mehmet Ali Birand, “Doğu’da Bayrak gibi Dalgalanıyor...”, Posta, 07 July 2010.
51. Alon Ben Meir, “Israel And Turkey: What Went Wrong?”, at www.turkishweekly.net/columnist/3356/ israel-and-turkey-what-went-wrong.html [last visited 25 March 2011]; Cengiz Çandar, “Türkiye’nin hesaplı ‘Hayır’ı...”, Radikal, 11 June 2010.
52. Hugh Pope, “Turkey-Israel: Erdogan is not the Bogeyman”, Haaretz, 18 June 2010.
53. Alon Ben Meir, “Israel and Turkey: What Went Wrong?”. Birand, “Doğu’da Bayrak gibi Dalgalanıyor”.