The trajectory of a modified middle power: an attempt to make sense of Turkey's foreign policy in its centennial

ALTUNIŞIK M.

TURKISH STUDIES, cilt.24, sa.3-4, ss.658-672, 2023 (SSCI) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 24 Sayı: 3-4
  • Basım Tarihi: 2023
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1080/14683849.2022.2141624
  • Dergi Adı: TURKISH STUDIES
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, IBZ Online, International Bibliography of Social Sciences, Historical Abstracts, Index Islamicus, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, Political Science Complete, Public Affairs Index, Sociological abstracts, Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.658-672
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Turkish foreign policy, middle power, cusp states, historical legacy, pivotal geography, TURKISH, DISCOURSE, DIPLOMACY, IDENTITY
  • Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

This article explores the general characteristics of Turkey's foreign policy in long duree by introducing the concept of a modified middle power. It argues that its historical legacy, the ambiguity of its regional belonging, and its real and constructed pivotal geography have modified Turkey's 'middlepowerness' and led to its in-betweenness. As such, the Turkish Republic, in its 100 years of history, has developed different strategies that aim to both remedy and sustain this in-betweenness. It is argued that this characteristic has been Turkey's contribution to global politics. Yet, during the AKP rule, especially since the 2010s, Turkey's in-betweenness has been undermined, ultimately weakening Turkey's position and role.