An Analysis of Atatürk's Foreign Policy 1919-1938

Abstract

Turkey, being located in between the Western and the
Eastern worlds, has been for many centuries a bridge
connecting the two worlds. 'l'urkey's geographical location
alone has provided attraction for international rivalry. This
factor by itself gave Turkey possibilities to play off one
rival against the other in the last century of the Ottoman
period. As amatter of fact, no single power could stand
against the rivalry of so many great powers by military
means alone. Diplomacy was an inalienable means of
safeguarding the sovereignty of any such nation which
was the centre of attraction of such extensive international
rivalry.
it is therefore understandable why many foreign scholars have often described the Turks as "born diplomat~".
Indeed, the Turks being in the easternmost of the West
and in the westernmost of the East have acquired both the
Western talents and the Eastern virtues. In the XIX. century,
for. instance, Turkish diplomats like the Foreign Minister
Keçecizade Fuat Paşa rightfully won the admiration of
many foreign colleagues.

Keywords

• An Analysis
• Atatürk
• Foreign Policy