Turkey in the Middle East Politics. Political Discourses, Identity and the National Interests

Wissenschaftliche Studie , 2020 , 78 Seiten , Note: 1.3

Politik - Region: Naher Osten, Vorderer Orient

This book bases on the research related to Turkey’s relations with the Middle East in the post-1980s. Recent analyses clarify that the change in economic policy and the emergence of a new wealthy class of Anatolia motivated Turkish governments to follow a multidimensional foreign policy after the 1980s. The transformation of identity, cultural and historical connections effected to increase the relations with the countries in the Middle East. The research findings indicate that the end of the Cold War caused instability in the Middle East, where Turkey had historical, cultural, religious and territorial connections.

The identity dimension in Turgut Özal’s foreign policy caused to remember the Ottoman past in the region. Neo-Ottomanism, which proposed that Turkey as the main power in the former Ottoman territories emerged as a both identity and strategy. After 2003, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) has followed a more conceptualized foreign policy based on the neo-Ottomanist strategy. By researching the political dynamics, it becomes evident that since the Gulf War in 1991, Turkey has increasingly connected to the ethnic groups within Iraq and became one of the major players in Iraqi politics. Also, increased criticism of the Turkish government, coupled with the strong support of Turkish people, against to Israeli politics has been the important factor to attract both the people and the politicians in the Middle East. Overall, the research reflects that the strong public support and an appropriate foreign policy, based on the neo-Ottomanist strategy, have been the main factors to increase the Turkey’s political sphere of influence in the Middle East.

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Preface and Acknowledgement
• Acronyms
• Abstract
• Introduction
• The Review on Turkish Foreign Policy Towards the Middle East
• Turkish Foreign Policy and Turkey's Approach to the Middle East after the 1980s
• Theoretical Debate on Turkey's Approach to the Middle East
• Policy Analysis in Turkish Foreign Policy towards the Middle East
• Limitations of Existing Research
• Theoretical Framework and Methodology
• Realist Approaches
• Limitations of Realist Approaches
• Constructivism
• Identity, Interest and Foreign Policy
• Analysis of the Sources and Research Methods
• The Middle East and Turkish Foreign Policy (1923-1980)
• Ottoman Governance Strategies in the Middle East
• The Emergence of Arab Nationalism and the West in the Middle East
• Turkey's Early Middle East Policy and the West Oriented Foreign Policy Trend
• The Political Ideology Factor on Foreign Policy Setting in Turkey
• Turkish Foreign Policy in the Post-Cold War Period
• Transformation of Turkish Foreign Policy after the 1980s
• Neo-Ottomanism as Turkey's Foreign Policy Strategy
• The Approach of Turkey towards the Middle East
• Turkey in the Middle East as a Regional Power
• Turkey in Palestine Problem: the Change in Regional Dynamics
• Turkey's Involvement in Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process
• Turkey and Palestine Problem after Israel's Gaza Operation
• The Position of Iraq in Turkey's Neo-Ottomanist Foreign Policy Approach
• Turkey and the Gulf War in the Context of Foreign Policy Transformation
• Turkey-Iraq Relations after Iraq War

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This work aims to provide a deeper understanding of Turkey's foreign policy in the Middle East, particularly its shift towards a neo-Ottomanist approach following the 1980s. It challenges the dominant hegemonic-rationalist perspectives that fail to fully grasp the sociocultural dynamics and identity shifts impacting Turkish foreign policy.

• The impact of pro-Islamic movements and the popularization of Ottoman discourse on Turkey's foreign policy.
• The evolution of Turkish foreign policy in the post-1980s, particularly its shift towards a neo-Ottomanist approach.
• The role of identity and interest in shaping Turkish foreign policy in the Middle East.
• The implications of Turkey's neo-Ottomanist foreign policy approach on its relations with the West, particularly in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Iraq's reconstruction process.
• The analysis of Turkey's foreign policy through an identity-interest framework, which considers the changes in both Turkey's social structure and the balance of power in the Middle East.

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

• The Review on Turkish Foreign Policy Towards the Middle East: This chapter provides an overview of the major theoretical debates surrounding Turkey's foreign policy shift towards the Middle East after the 1980s. It critiques the limitations of existing research, highlighting the need for a more nuanced understanding of the role of sociocultural dynamics and identity in shaping Turkey's foreign policy approach.
• Theoretical Framework and Methodology: This chapter lays out the conceptual framework and methodology employed in the study. It outlines the limitations of realist approaches and advocates for a constructivist approach that considers the interplay of identity, interest, and foreign policy.
• The Middle East and Turkish Foreign Policy (1923-1980): This chapter explores Turkey's early foreign policy towards the Middle East, focusing on the Ottoman period and the emergence of Arab nationalism. It examines Turkey's pro-Western foreign policy orientation and the influence of political ideology on its foreign policy setting.
• Turkish Foreign Policy in the Post-Cold War Period: This chapter analyzes the transformation of Turkish foreign policy after the 1980s, exploring the rise of neo-Ottomanism as a key foreign policy strategy. It examines the shift in Turkey's approach to the Middle East within the context of its changing regional and global position.
• Turkey in the Middle East as a Regional Power: This chapter examines Turkey's involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its role in Iraq's reconstruction process. It analyzes these cases within the framework of Turkey's neo-Ottomanist foreign policy approach, highlighting its ambitions to play a more prominent role in the region.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

This work focuses on key concepts such as Turkish foreign policy, Middle East politics, neo-Ottomanism, identity-interest framework, sociocultural dynamics, pro-Islamic movements, Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Iraq reconstruction process, and regional power.

• Hochschule: Universität Kassel (Faculty of Social Sciences)
• Note: 1.3
• Autor: Ahmet Görgen (Autor:in)
• Erscheinungsjahr: 2020
• Seiten: 78
• Katalognummer: V916221
• ISBN (eBook): 9783346215659
• ISBN (Buch): 9783346215666
• Sprache: Englisch
• Schlagworte: Turkish Foreign Policy, Middle East, identity, Neo-Ottomanism, Palestine, Iraq