Worldviews and Turkish foreign policy in the Middle East

Abstract

Turkish foreign policy in the Middle East has become highly contested in the last two decades. The changes in the international and domestic environment have led to the emergence of competing ideas as to the elements of Turkish foreign policy in this region. This article argues that these ideas ultimately represent worldviews as they start with different assumptions about what Turkey is, what the basis of Turkey's interest and involvement should be in this region, to what extent Turkey should engage the Middle East, and what the threats and/or opportunities emanating from the region are. Each of these worldviews has been institutionalized to some extent. I conclude that these worldviews continue to co-exist and compete with each other in Turkish foreign policy today.

Turkey's "New" Foreign Policy toward Eurasia

“…Yet we depart from the literature in pointing to how the not-so-new policies of the JDP government have differed from those of previous eras. In particular, we differ from Ziya Öniş (2011), who has emphasized JDP's difference in terms of "the nature and style" of foreign policy, and Meliha Altunışık (2009), who has underscored the importance of Davutoğlu's worldview in shaping JDP foreign policies. What we highlight in this paper goes beyond a matter of foreign policy style and Davutoğlu's worldview to the heart of the politics of identity that the JDP has introduced by framing Turkey's international relations in civilizational terms.…”

“…Hence our argument regarding the continuity between JDP's foreign policy toward Central Eurasia with that of Özal and Cem. Indeed, we are not alone in highlighting this continuity (e.g., see Altunışık, 2009;Öniş, 2011). Yet we depart from the literature in pointing to how the not-so-new policies of the JDP government have differed from those of previous eras.…”

“…Notwithstanding such efforts, Turkey's unilateral decision to block the Kirkuk-Yumurtalık pipeline 20 following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990, and close collaboration with the United States in the Gulf War without due consultation with its neighbors signaled that the Middle East at that time remained subordinate to Turkey's Western orientation (Altunışık, 2009). Consequently, Özal's contribution to changing Turkey's geographic imagination remained one of portraying the Middle East as "an area of opportunity" while retaining the old representation as "a zone of risks and dangers."…”

“…Although it can be argued that improved relations with Syria were helped by its expulsion of Öcalan, this does not do justice to the role played by Cem personally in bringing about a change in Syria's position (Altunışık, 2009). Cem played an equally crucial role in invigorating relations with Iran.…”

Social Identity and Attitudes Toward Foreign Policy: Evidence From a Youth Survey in Turkey

“…40 In a similar vein, Meltem Müftüler-Baç contends that EU-related reforms have improved democratization in Turkey, which in turn has opened avenues for previously excluded groups to be more vocal and assertive in formulating their foreign policy opinions. 41 Whatever the causes, as the distinction between domestic and international politics declines, two important consequences follow.…”