The Evolution of ‘Eurasia’ as a Geopolitical Concept in Post–Cold War Turkey

Abstract

This article aims to discuss and analyse the major factors behind the emergence and evolution of "Eurasia" as a geopolitical concept in Turkey in the post-Cold War period. For this purpose, special focus will be placed on Turkish political, academic and intellectual circles' redefinition of their geopolitical outlook towards Russia and the Turkic republics of Central Asia and Caucasus in the 1990s and 2000s. The major argument of the article in this regard is that while discourses such as Pan-Turkism, Eurasianism and Neo-Ottomanism have exercised a degree of influence over the conceptualisation of Eurasia in Turkish academic and intellectual circles, the concept has been generally treated as an instrument of pragmatism by Turkish policymakers. This pragmatism is not only reflected in their geo-economic calculations in the field of energy pipelines, but also the reasoning behind the striking improvement of political and economic relations between Turkey and Russia in the 2000s.

Turkey’s Interest in Closer Relations with Russia: Global, Regional and Domestic Dynamics

“…This makes the Turkish leaders more interested in becoming actively engaged with Eurasian-based regional cooperation projects like the Greater Eurasian Partnership. Although it is not yet quite clear what kind of a role Turkey could play in such projects due to its traditionally strong economic and strategic links with the West, the development of Eurasia as a geopolitical concept has been on the agenda of Turkish political and intellectual circles since the early 2000s mainly due to the strengthened influence of Russia in world politics during the Putin era (Erşen, 2013).…”

Popüler Jeopolitik ve Sinema: Önce Vatan Filmi Özelinde Türkiye’nin Jeopolitik Söyleminde Kıbrıs’ın Analizi

“…Eleştirel jeopolitik temelinde yazılan ya da eleştirel jeopolitiği metin içerisinde bir şekilde işleyen Türkçe akademik makalelerin (Anaz, 2015;Atay, 2016;Atmaca, 2011;Durgun 2018a;Taban, 2013;Yeşiltaş, 2014 gibi) ve lisansüstü tezlerin, genel jeopolitik çalışmalar içerisindeki benzer türdeki eserlere göre hacmi oldukça azdır. Bununla birlikte, Türkiye' deki akademisyenler tarafından bu alanda hazırlanan İngilizce akademik makaleler (Anaz, 2017;Atmaca, 2014;Bilgin, 2007;Durgun, 2018b;Erşen, 2013Erşen, , 2014Yalkın ve Yanık, 2020;Yanık, 2009aYanık, , 2009bYanık, , 2017Yanık, , 2019aYeşiltaş, 2013 gibi) ve kitap bölümleri (Bilgin, 2012;Erşen, 2016Erşen, , 2017Yanık, 2019b gibi) bulunmaktadır. Bu çalışmalar, çoğunlukla alandaki öncü uluslararası dergilerde ve seçkin yayınevleri tarafından basılan kitaplarda yer almaktadır.…”

The revival of 'Central Europe' among Hungarian political elites: its meaning and geopolitical implications

“…At the same time, concepts such as 'Eurasia' (Bassin, M. 2012;Erşen, E. 2013), 'Central Europe' (Mező, F. 2001) or 'Eastern Europe' (Wolff, L. 1994;Romsics, I. 2014) do not possess over a fixed meaning or territorial shape but are constantly evolving in time and space.…”

“…notions that mean little per se but that can be filled with almost any content, for instance to legitimise pragmatic policy purposes (cf. Erşen, E. 2013). Especially in societies undergoing rapid change -as in post-cold war Central and Eastern Europe -such narratives are often adopted by elites to reorient their subjects towards new areas and geopolitical constellations (Bassin, M. 2012, 553), with significant implications on foreign but also domestic policies.…”