Turkish foreign policy in the twenty-first century

This paper explores two questions: What are the ideological, social, and political roots of the new "Islamic" Republic of Turkey? How was the new thinking of the ascending political anti-Kemalist elite translated into a precipitous change in Turkey's foreign policy? The first section describes the fundamentals that guided Turkey's foreign policy throughout the Cold War period and the geopolitical crisis that occurred at that period's end. The second section highlights the three main causes of the drastic shift in the Turkish orientation towards the Greater Middle East: the American-promoted 'Turkish model,' a new revisionist doctrine of foreign policy introduced by Davutoğlu, and the emergence of the new political elite representing the conservative and religious businesspeople of Central Anatolia. The third section examines how this thinking was translated into concrete policies in the region. The fourth section describes the new dynamic in the region unleashed by the 'Arab Spring.' The conclusion analyzes the ramifications of Turkey's ambition to become the regional kingmaker and its role in an evolving geostrategic environment.