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26-04-2017

Disintegration of the “strategic depth” doctrine and Turkey’s troubles in the Middle East

Author: Binnur Ozkececi-Taner

Published in: Contemporary Islam | Issue 2/2017

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Abstract

By way of tracing a number of important developments in the last decade, this paper examines Turkey’s foreign policy under the leadership of the Justice and Development Party, with specific emphasis on the “strategic depth” doctrine. More specifically, after providing a very brief overview of Turkey’s foreign policy orientation between 1923 and 2002, the paper first discusses the basic principles of the “strategic depth” doctrine and then analyzes how three main issues – Islamization of Turkish foreign policy, the Arab Spring, and the increasing discrepancy between Turkey’s domestic politics and the image Turkey’s leaders wanted to present to the outside world – led to the disintegration of this doctrine.

previous article Split city versus divided state in Turkey: contrasting patterns of political opposition to AKP’s authoritarianism

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There is a good amount of literature on this subject, so a detailed consideration in this paper would be repetitive. Among others, the followings provide a comprehensive review: Davutoglu (2001) Stratejik Derinlik: Turkiye’nin Uluslararasi Konumu (Kure Yayinlari); Murinson (2006) The Strategic Depth Doctrine of Turkish Foreign Policy, Middle Eastern Studies 42′ Pope (2010) ‘Pax Ottomana’: The Mixed Success of Turkey’s New Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs 89; and Sozen (2010) A Paradigm Shift in Turkish Foreign Policy: Transition and Challenges, Turkish Studies 11; Yesiltas, M. and Balci A. (2013) A Dictionary of Turkish Foreign Policy in the AK Party Era: A Conceptual Map (SAM Papers, 7)

Davutoglu (2013) Turkey’s Mediation: Critical Reflections from the Field, Middle East Policy, 20.

Ilgit, A and Ozkececi-Taner, B. (2013) Turkey at the United Nations Security Council:‘Rhythmic Diplomacy’ and a Quest for Global Influence, Mediterranean Politics.

Dinc, C. (2011) Turkey as a New Security Actor in the Middle East: Beyond the Slogans, Perceptions, 16.

Davutoglu (2011) Vision 2023: Turkey’s Foreign Policy Objectives, Speech delivered at the Investor Conference ‘The Road to 2023’. Organized by Goldman Sachs, 22 November 2011, London; Davutoglu (2012) V. Buyukelciler Konferans Konusmasi, 2 January 2012, Ankara; Davutoglu (2013) Zero Problems in a New Era, Foreign Policy.

Akyol, M. (2012) Turkey Vs. Iran: The Regional Battle for Hearts and Minds, Foreign Affairs (Snapshots section Online).

Prime Minister Erdoğan reiterates ‘no genocide’ in Darfur. Today’s Zaman (November, 9, 2009)

Turkey’s Erdogan Calls Israel a ‘Terrorist State’. Reuters International (November 19, 2009)

Stack, L. In Slap at Syria, Turkey Shelters Anti-Assad Fighters, New York Times (October 27, 2011).

Pope, H. Turkey’s Tangled Syria Policy, CTC Centinel, Combating Terrorism Center at West Point (August 2013).

Contingencies of Turkish Military Intervention into Syria. Middle East Online (December 12, 2011)

Canada, Turkey criticize US-Russia deal on Syria. Associated Press (September 14, 2014)

Ibid.

Adilgizi, L. ‘Zero problems’ policy supplanted by ‘precious loneliness’ approach. Today’s Zaman (August 25, 2013).

Davutoglu (2012) Principles of Turkish Foreign Policy and Regional Political Structuring. International Policy and Leadership Institute, Turkey Policy Brief Series #3.

There is no academic work that examines the Gezi Park Protests in English language. However, there are at least three journalistic/scholarly works published in Turkish language in the past seven months. These are: Gezi Direnis Yazilari: Yeryuzunun Asi Cocuklari, Ekin Yayinlari, Istanbul, edited by Ok, A. (2013); Gezi Direnişi: Türkiye’yi Sarsan 30 Gün - Artık Hiçbir Şey Eskisi Gibi Olmayacak,Kucukkaya, A. and Konger, E (Cumhuiyet Kitaplari, 2013); Gezi Parki Surecine Dijital Vatandas’in Etkisi, by Banko M. and Babaoglan, A. R. (2013).

Falk, R. Whither Turkey: First Thoughts after Gezi Park (July 1, 2013)

Elman, P. Turkey at a Tipping Point: Why the EU Should Use Gezi to Rebalance Ankara’s Foreign Policy. The Polish Institute of International Affairs, Policy Paper #17 (July 2013).

European Parliament Resolution (Text adopted, June 13, 2013).

EU-Turkey Relations After Gezi: Another Halt or An Incentive to Revive Turkey’s Moribund Accession Process? Uluslararasi Politika Akademisi (July 15, 2013)

Davutoglu, A. Turkey: despite the protests, we represent all of our citizens. The Guardian (June 16, 2013)

Ibid.

Gezi Direnis Yazilari: Yeryuzunun Asi Cocuklari, Ekin Yayinlari, Istanbul, edited by Ok, A. (2013); Gezi Direnişi: Türkiye’yi Sarsan 30 Gün - Artık Hiçbir Şey Eskisi Gibi Olmayacak,Kucukkaya, A. and Konger, E (Cumhuiyet Kitaplari, 2013); Gezi Parki Surecine Dijital Vatandas’in Etkisi, by Banko M. and Babaoglan, A. R. (2013).

Gulenists are those who follow the internationally renowned cleric Fethullah Gulen.

Akyol, M. “Tunisia Should Be Turkey’s ‘Model’.” Hurriyet Daily News (October 29, 2014).

Akyol, M. “How Turkey Sabotaged Its Future.” The New York Times (December 22, 2014).

See for example, Makovsky, A. (1999) “The New Activism in Turkish Foreign Policy,” SAIS Review, 19; Makovsky A. and Sayarı, S. (eds.) (2000), Turkey’s New World: Changing Dynamics in Turkish Foreign Policy (Washington, DC: WINEP); Robbins, P. (2003) Suits and Uniforms: Turkish Foreign Policy Since the Cold War, (London: Hurst and Company: 2003); Sayarı, S. (2000) Turkish Foreign Policy in the Post Cold War Era, Journal of International Affairs, 54; Lesser, I. (2000) Turkey in a Changing Security Environment, Journal of International

Affairs, 54.

Ozkececi-Taner, B. (2013), Turkish Foreign Policy: Bridge, Buffer, and Barrier, in Foreign Policy in Comparative Perspective: Domestic and International Influences on State Behavior. Edited by Beasley, R.K., et al. (2nd ed.) (CQ Press)

Cornell, S. E (2012) What Drives Turkish Foreign Policy?: Changes in Turkey, in The Middle East Quarterly (Online).

Ibid.

Mehmet Yegen quoted in Idiz, Semih, “What Sunday’s Elections Mean for Turkey’s Foreign Policy”Al Monitor (November 4, 2015)

Ersin Kalayciogly, quoted in Idiz, Semih, “What Sunday’s Elections Mean for Turkey’s Foreign Policy”Al Monitor (November 4, 2015).

Akyol, M. (2012) "Can Islamists be liberals." The New York Times. May 13, 2012. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/14/opinion/can-islamists-be-liberals.html.

Cornell, S. E. (2012). What drives Turkish foreign policy?: Changes in Turkey, in the Middle East quarterly (Online). 19(1), 13–24.

Davutoglu, A. (2001). Stratejik Derinlik: Turkiye’nin Uluslararasi Konumu. Istanbul: Kure Yayinlari.

Davutoglu, A. (2011). Vision 2023: Turkey’s Foreign Policy Objectives, Speech delivered at the Investor Conference ‘The Road to 2023’. Organized by Goldman Sachs, 22 November 2011, London. http://www.mfa.gov.tr/speech-entitled-_vision-2023_-turkey_s-foreign-policy-objectives__-delivered-by-h_e_-ahmet-davutoglu_-minister-of-foreign-af.en.mfa. Accessed 22 Apr 2013.

Davutoglu, A. (2012). V. Buyukelciler Konferans Konusmasi, 2 January 2012, Ankara. http://www.mfa.gov.tr/disisleri-bakani-sayin-ahmet-davutoglu_nin-v_-buyukelciler-konferansinda-yaptigi-konusma_-2-ocak-2-13_ankara.tr.mfa. Accessed 20 Apr 2013.

Davutoglu, A. (2013). Zero problems in a new era, Foreign Policy. http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013/03/21/zero_problems_in_a_new_era_turkey?page=0,1. Accessed 23 Apr 2013.

Dinç, C. (2011). "Turkey as a new security actor in the Middle East: Beyond the slogans." Perceptions 16(2), 61–80.

Ilgit, A., & Ozkececi-Taner, B. (2013). "Turkey at the United Nations security council: 'Rhythmic diplomacy' and a quest for global influence." Mediterranean Politics 19(2), 183–202.

Lesser, I. (2000). "Turkey in a changing security environment". Journal of International Affairs, 54:183–198.

Makovsky, A., & Sayarı, S. (Eds.) (2000), Turkey’s new world: Changing dynamics in Turkish foreign policy. Washington, DC: WINEP.

Murinson, A. (2006). The strategic depth doctrine of Turkish foreign policy. Middle Eastern Studies, 42(6), 945–964.CrossRef

Ok, A. (Ed.) (2013). Gezi Direnis Yazilari: Yeryuzunun Asi Cocuklari. Istanbul, Turkey: Ekin Yayinlari.

Ozkan, B. (2014). The collapse of Davutoğlu’s pan-Islamist foreign policy. Hurriyet Daily News.

Ozkececi-Taner, B. (2013). Turkish foreign policy: bridge, buffer, and barrier, in foreign policy in comparative perspective. Domestic and international influences on state behavior. Edited by, R. K. Beasley et al. (2nd ed.), Thousand Oaks: CQ Press.

Pope, H. (2010). ‘Pax Ottomana’: The mixed success of Turkey’s new foreign policy. Foreign Affairs, 89(6), 161–171.

Sayari, S. (2000). "Turkish foreign policy in the post-cold war era: The challenges of multi-regionalism". Journal of International Affairs 54(1): 169–182.

Sozen, A. (2010). A paradigm shift in Turkish foreign policy: Transition and challenges. Turkish Studies, 11(1), 103–123.CrossRef

Taspinar, Omer (2008) Turkey’s Middle East Policies: Between Neo-Ottomanism and Kemalism. Carnegie Papers. Washington, DC: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Yesiltas, M., & Balci A. (2013). A dictionary of Turkish foreign policy in the AK Party Era: A conceptual map. Ankara, Turkey: SAM Papers.

Title: Disintegration of the “strategic depth” doctrine and Turkey’s troubles in the Middle East
Author: Binnur Ozkececi-Taner
Publication date: 26-04-2017
Publisher: Springer Netherlands
Published in: Contemporary Islam / Issue 2/2017
Print ISSN: 1872-0218
Electronic ISSN: 1872-0226
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11562-017-0387-5

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