The Turkish Foreign Policy Under the AKP

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Question: How has the AKP’s foreign policy set it apart from earlier political parties and how has it changed Turkey’s role in the region. You must discuss “zero problems with neighbors”.

Since the beginning of the modern Turkey, its foreign policies have had some certain specific features, which were affected by not only the international environment, such as the Cold War, the alliances and the European Union, but also domestic issues, such as the political coalitions, terrorism, etc. For example, following the emergence, between 1923 and 1930, Turkey focused on economic, social and political reforms to modernize and Westernize, while its foreign policy was based on the problems, which were the remnants of the Lousanne Treaty, such as the Mosul and Kirkuk issue with the Great Britain, and Hatay issue with France. Until the World War II, the foreign policy can be “characterized as cautious, realistic and generally aimed at the protection of the status quo and the hard-win victory of the 1923.”

A new era in the Turkish foreign policy started in 2002, when the Justice and Development Party (AKP) came into power. The AKP’s agenda, tools and principles for the foreign policy have proved to be different from those of the previous eras. This paper will explain the divergent and the similar aspects of the current Turkish foreign policy with those of the previous eras. After explaining the basic tenets of the AKP’s foreign policy and different elements of it from the past, it will examine the driving forces behind them. The conclusion will discuss how the new foreign policy changed Turkey’s role in the region, and why AKP has been successful in implementing its foreign policy.

Basic tenets of the AKP’s foreign policy

The AKP and its...

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...he mutual relationships.

To achieve zero problem policy towards neighboring countries, Turkey has been trying to solve its long-standing problems and normalize relationships with Armenia since 2009. But, its efforts made its one of ally in the region, Azerbaijan, angry against Turkey because of Nakorno Karabagh issue.

Davutoglu argues that it is possible to maintain good relations with different conflicting parties if a policy of values and principles are implemented. But, as can be seen in the U.S.-Iran, Armenia-Azerbaijan and the Arabian countries-Israel examples, it might be impossible to do so.

Conclusion

Overall outcomes of the AKP’s foreign policy, which has been led by Ahmet Davutoglu, are impressive. Thanks to this new type of foreign policy, Turkey managed to become a key actor in its periphery, and achieved an outstanding economic development.

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