TURKEY’S NEW FOREIGN POLICY AND ITS CHALLENGES
Turkish-Arab Liberal Dialogue Forum, Istanbul, 05 November 2010
I – Main parameters that shape Turkey’s security
environment
A – Constant factors
1. Geography and geo-strategic location of Turkey
2. Ottoman legacy
3. Size of population
4. Being part of the Islamic world (OIC)
B- Evolving factors
1. Euro-Atlantic security
2. The end of the Cold War
a. Vacuum created by the Soviet Union
b. Failure of the US to fill the gap
3. EU accession process (ESDP)
4. US invasion of Iraq and the aftermath
5. Emergence of Iran as a nuclear power
6. Energy
7. International terrorism
8. Turkey’s bilateral problems
a. Greece
b. Cyprus
c. Armenia
II – Turkey’s policy to reach out
A. Continuity in Turkish foreign policy
– Balkan Pact
– Saadabad Pact
B. New challenges and opportunities
a. The Balkans
b. Caucasus
c. Central Asia
d. Middle East
– Syria
– Iraq
– Iran
– Israel-Pales
* Gaza
* Mavi Marmara (Flotilla)
e- Effects of the Palestinian conflict
III – Is Turkey drifting away?
