The New Middle East and Turkish Foreign Policy
By Talip Kucukcan, Bill Park, Mohammed Ayoob & Taha Ozhan
Arab Spring has placed Turkey’s proactive Middle East policy at the top of international attention once again.
With its political model that successfully blends Islam and democracy, Turkey has been presented by many scholars as a model country in the Middle East. Others, on the other hand, have warned about the danger of exaggerating the analogies being drawn between political experiences of Turkey and Middle Eastern countries.The view that Turkish experience can be a source of inspiration for those countries in the region aspiring for a democratic change is widely circulated. Turkey’s future role in the region has also been discussed on a more concrete and practical level.
SETA’s public seminar ‘’The New Middle East and Turkish Foreign Policy’’ brought together Bill Park of Kings College, Mohammed Ayoob of Michigan State University and Taha Ozhan of SETA Foundation to discuss further the implications of Arab spring on Turkish foreign policy. In this context distinguished panelists addressed the following questions: What would be the implications of Arab Spring on the new Middle East? What would be the future role of Turkey in the region? What is the effect of the Arab Spring on Turkey’s ambitious zero problems with neighbors policy?
