Neo-Ottomanism as the Basis of Turkey’s Middle East Policy
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31861/mhpi2020.42.99-108Keywords:
Turkey, Turkey’s Middle East policy, Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi, AKP), neo-OttomanismAbstract
In the article the author emphasizes that Turkey’s current course of foreign policy is a reflection of its fear to remain a secondary, buffer state against the background of the past greatness of the Ottoman Empire. The author elucidates it as a reason that Turkey regards the traditional basis of its foreign policy (Ottomanism, Pan-Turkism) that is radically different to the pro-Western Kemalism. Direction of Turkish foreign policy towards neo-Ottomanism is explained by the peculiarities of geopolitics of the post-bipolar period, existence of the conflict identities, aspiration to take responsibility for the negative (from Turkey’s perspective) processes in the countries of the “Ottoman legacy” (European, Asian, African areas) and other. It is highlighted that Turkey aims to reach a new (supraregional) level through the revival of political Islam, Ottoman traditions and ideology, however, officially it distancing itself from neo-Ottomanism in order to avoid accusations of its commitment to expansionism.
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