AK Party foreign policy: The regional context
As Türkiye learns to use its soft power along with its military might, it continues to pursue a successful foreign policy and a role as a regional leader
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Clues to comprehend Turkish foreign policy
The Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to reshape the international balance of power. In this new era, Türkiye distinguishes itself thanks to its diplomatic activity. Indeed, the country has been so important that the Western media, which constantly refer to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as “the sultan,” cannot help but concede that cooperation with Türkiye is absolutely necessary. Surely enough, all eyes turned to Erdoğan when the world needed a broker between Russia and Ukraine, someone needed to create a "grain corridor" in the Black Sea and when Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership.
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Turkey has been enjoying good relations with three Gulf states – Qatar, Oman and Kuwait – for decades. However, Turkey’s relations with the other three members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) – the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Saudi Arabia – worsened due to their conflicting perspectives toward the Arab insurgencies.
A wind of normalization is blowing through the Middle East. It all started with the Gulf states ending their blockade of Qatar. The trend continued with the United States moving to reinstate the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. The fourth round of talks continues in Vienna, in a notably positive atmosphere, as experts note that it would not be surprising for mutual concessions to lead to an agreement.
Turkey and Egypt, which have been experiencing a tense relationship since the military coup against the democratically elected government of Mohammed Morsi in July 2013, have initiated a new diplomatic dialogue in response to changing regional and global dynamics.
The blockade and isolation of Qatar, led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), began in June 2017 and ended with a declaration at the 41st Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit on Jan. 4 in Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ula province.
Normalization in the Gulf and Turkey’s agenda
The Qatar blockade, also known as the Gulf crisis, broke out in 2017 due to the aggressive attitude of the "alliance of the globe" toward the country. The alliance was established by U.S. President Donald Trump during his first official visit to Saudi Arabia.
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The new face of anti-Turkey rhetoric
The latest escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh reignited anti-Turkey rhetoric in the international arena. Turkey, under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's leadership, threw its weight behind Azerbaijan to help the country reclaim its Armenian-occupied territories.
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Turkey’s most recent steps in Libya and the Eastern Mediterranean raised questions in foreign capitals about that country’s international standing. As Americans grappled with President Donald Trump’s call to delay the 2020 elections, the European media went berzerk over the Hagia Sophia’s reclassification as a mosque. On the one hand, they called on European leaders to respond to “Sultan” Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, whom they charged with neo-Ottomanist expansionism. At the same time, European reporters appreciate that Erdoğan has been filling the power vacuum that the United States left behind, empowering his country in the process. They also understand that the Turkish president, as an experienced leader, does what his European counterparts fail to do and takes his country to a new level of agency.
President Donald Trump's administration in Washington explicitly supported this ambitious alliance, which portrayed itself as the new powerhouse to reshape the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) and the Crown Prince of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, Muhammed bin Zayed (MBZ), were the leading figures and sponsors of this project.
If the aggressive foreign policy of the Riyadh administration continues, Saudi Arabia will become more isolated than ever, as the cases of Qatar and Morocco clearly indicate
Two prominent regional powers in the Middle East made headlines this week for entirely different reasons.
Turkey's response to the Khashoggi affair has remained solid and serious since the very beginning and this stance has thwarted some from using the case as a political tool
Almost every foreign policy crisis in the United States in the last few years has shown the difficulty of responding due to the lack of a strategy or coordination.
The foreign policy makers of the Trump administration are damaging the U.S.' prestige among its allies, leaving the country more isolated than ever
The Trump administration's controversial and reckless moves against Ankara are about to spell the end of the traditional Turkey-U.S. partnership
President Trump has come up with a new kind of diplomacy, of sharing tweets on social media to either shape U.S. foreign policy or fire his top officials whenever he finds it necessary
Insight Turkey has just published its special focused on Gulf affairs. The articles of this issue analyze the disputes in the Gulf, disagreements within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the existing conflicts in the region.
The storm of polarization in the Middle East looks far from an end. At this point, the various players are not even trying to hide their true intentions, which used to be kept to themselves or in private circles.
The policy-makers in the White House have not been able to agree on how to take position on the protests going on in the U.S.'s long-time rival Iran
The nature of the Gulf-sponsored polarization campaign effectively renders their threats ineffective.
