The trajectory of a modified middle power: an attempt to make sense of Turkey's foreign policy in its centennial

Date

2022-11-01

Author

Altunışık, Meliha

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This article explores the general characteristics of Turkey's foreign policy in long duree by introducing the concept of a modified middle power. It argues that its historical legacy, the ambiguity of its regional belonging, and its real and constructed pivotal geography have modified Turkey's 'middlepowerness' and led to its in-betweenness. As such, the Turkish Republic, in its 100 years of history, has developed different strategies that aim to both remedy and sustain this in-betweenness. It is argued that this characteristic has been Turkey's contribution to global politics. Yet, during the AKP rule, especially since the 2010s, Turkey's in-betweenness has been undermined, ultimately weakening Turkey's position and role.

Subject Keywords

Turkish foreign policy, middle power, cusp states, historical legacy, pivotal geography, TURKISH, DISCOURSE, DIPLOMACY, IDENTITY

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/100775

Journal

TURKISH STUDIES

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1080/14683849.2022.2141624

Collections

Department of International Relations, Article

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Citation Formats

M. Altunışık, “The trajectory of a modified middle power: an attempt to make sense of Turkey’s foreign policy in its centennial,” TURKISH STUDIES, pp. 0–0, 2022, Accessed: 00, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://hdl.handle.net/11511/100775.