The role of Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to discuss the role of Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean since the 1980s and especially since the demise of the Cold War. Radical changes in the international scene since the 1990s deeply affected Turkey and gave a new impetus to its role in the international arena, including the Eastern Mediterranean region. Turkey is now in position to play a leading role in international affairs as its dynamism and great potential deriving from its geostrategic location and the recent changes in the domestic field allow it to do so. It would be of fundamental importance for the purpose of this thesis to describe how Turkey has evolved through years in order to have a better insight of its past, as it could serve as a guide to the future. Turbulences in its political and economic sector affected profoundly its international position but the way Turkey tackled the internal and external challenges constitute a significant part of this case study. This thesis illustrates the importance of Turkey as a regional power in the Eastern Mediterranean, describes the traumatic and crucial issues, which dominate its foreign policy for several decades and their key role to Turkey's future. Besides, it explains the reasons behind the shift of Turkey's foreign policy towards the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries. Alliances, new partnerships and unresolved disputes are the main features that characterize Turkey's relations with various countries in the region. However, it would be risky to project the future of these relations. But, Turkey shows that changes. It has chosen a path to democracy, uneasy as it may be, that could serve in combination with other dynamics as a means to redefine its policies toward key issues and prove that a predominantly Muslim yet secular and democratic country is at the broader region's as well as at West's best interests.