Turkish Foreign Policy under AKP Rule: Making Sense of the Turbulence
| Author | Özge Zihnioğlu,Burak Cop |
| Published date | 01 February 2017 |
| Date | 01 February 2017 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/1478-9302.12088 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
https://doi.org/10.1111/1478-9302.12088
Political Studies Review
2017, Vol. 15(1) 28 –38
© The Author(s) 2015
Reprints and permissions:
sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav
DOI: 10.1111/1478-9302.12088
journals.sagepub.com/home/psrev
605980PSW0010.1111/1478-9302.12088Political Studies Review X(X) Jeffery et al.
research-article2016
Article
Turkish Foreign Policy under AKP Rule:
Making Sense of the Turbulence
Burak Cop and Özge Zihniog˘lu
Istanbul Kültür University
The twists and turns of Turkish foreign policy under Justice and Development Party (AKP) rule have been a matter
of interest not only in the scholarly literature, but also in common discourse. This article traces the unfolding of
this policy in Turkey’s neighbourhood and in relation to its quest for EU membership, particularly since 2006, and
also discusses the milestones that have been shaping it. Drawing upon the categories of change Charles Hermann
identified, this article illustrates the magnitude and direction of change in Turkish foreign policy during this period
and critically evaluates its implications for this policy today.
Keywords: Turkish foreign policy; foreign policy change; Ahmet Davutog˘ lu; Justice
and Development Party (AKP)
The Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi, AKP), which has
governed Turkey since November 2002, has pursued a pro-European policy aimed at
bringing Turkey closer to European Union (EU) membership in its first three years in
power. The weight of these EU-oriented objectives began to diminish after the start of
membership negotiations between Turkey and the EU in October 2005, and Turkey
started to give a particular place to the Middle East in its foreign policy. It could be said
that Hamas leader Khaled Mashal’s visit to Turkey in 2006 constituted a symbolic
milestone in Turkish foreign policy in terms of the country playing a more autono-
mous and ambitious role in Middle East affairs. The AKP’s second term in power
(between 2007 and 2011) saw the country becoming very active in Middle Eastern
politics in line with the ambitious vision to make Turkish foreign policy more
autonomous (from the West) and increase Turkey’s influence in the Middle East – a
region seen as an historical and ‘natural’ zone of influence due to its Ottoman past and
religious affinity.
Such dynamic aspects of Turkish foreign policy have received increasingly more
attention during the last decade in the scholarly literature. Earlier studies have examined
aspects of continuity versus change along with the ‘zero-problem’ policy and so-called
‘strategic depth’ and ‘neo-Ottomanism’ (Karda¸s, 2010; Sözen, 2010). Other studies have
also discussed the ‘shift of axis’ in Turkey in light of different policy areas (Öni¸s, 2011).
More recent studies have focused on Turkey’s involvement in the Syrian uprisings as
well as its bid for a greater role in reshaping the Middle East (Demirtas-Bagdonas,
2014).
Previous studies notwithstanding, there exists a paucity of research examining the
milestones of the AKP’s foreign policy in such a way as to enable a meaningful
assessment of the current status of Turkish foreign policy. Therefore, the aim of this
article is twofold: first, it elaborates the unfolding of Turkish foreign policy under AKP
POLITICAL STUDIES REVIEW: 2015
doi: 10.1111/1478-9302.12088
© 2015 The Authors. Political Studies Review © 2015 Political Studies Association
Turkish Foreign Policy under
AKP Rule: Making Sense of the
Turbulence
To continue reading
Request your trial