The conceptual architecture of Turkish foreign policy: An update in light of regional turbulence

Documentos CIDOB Mediterráneo y Oriente Medio, nº 18, July 2012

Eduard Soler i Lecha *

This document examines the way in which Turkish foreign policy has adapted to a turbulent regional context. The author carries out this examination by reviewing some of the concepts that are commonly used in political discourse and academic analysis on this country’s foreign policy. The lexicon of Turkey’s current foreign policy reflects the systemic changes made since the end of the Cold War, as well as the doctrinal contributions of Ahmet Davutoğlu, the current foreign affairs minister. This evolution took place at a time in which Turkey has made great efforts to improve its relations with its neighbours and to diversify its priorities in terms of international alliances. The speed and virulence with which the regional context is evolving – especially since the Arab spring and the conflict in Syria – has forced Turkey’s diplomacy to revise not only its priorities but also its conceptual architecture.

* Research Fellow, CIDOB

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