Turkish Foreign Policy Last 10 Years

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INTRODUCTION

   In recent years, there is an impression in public that when it is said “Turkish foreign policy is multi-dimensional”,the situations which are special to Turkey,which make policy prerogative,which need special skills are neglected. In another words, “multi-dimensionalism” is presented,by the government, as a new property af our foreign policy that brings reputation to our country,and this enables us  see the truth.

Today's Turkey is 17th largest economy of the world and is a member of G20 and Un Security Council,more self-confided and more ambitious regional power.Turkey is in a position that could leave a mark in the 21st century with its existing potential.However,achiving this is bound to conserving the democracy and secular-constitutional state principles. In Foreign Relations Turkey has to take this principles as basis,produce policies consistent with these policies and operate in order to adopt these policies globally and widespread them.For this purpose,Turkey should take place in Western community that has similar values,therefore should fulfill the necessities of EU membership goal.Turkey will be effective in international extent and have a specific role as long as she could keep democracy and secularism alive together.

To sum up, today's Turkey has reached to the highest point af all the Republic history in means of strategic independence.


The purpose of this study is to examine the period from Republic history to 3 November 2002 elections with its dimensions,impacts and responses,to see its profits then to comperatively analyse AKP government's revisions with 3 November 2002 elections,the new policies and dimensions,and the profits this policy brought recently.

I. TURKISH FOREIGN POLICY OF ATATURK PERIOD (1923–1938)

Basic Principles of Turkish Foreign Policy of Ataturk Period

The main goal of the National Struggle Period in foreign policy was to introduce the new Turkish State in international field, that, this – in a sense- formed the foreign policy principles of The Republic of Turkey during the foundation period. Turkey’s gaining legitimacy in the international field as a national state in modern meaning was with the Lausanne Conference. Between the years 1923-30, the outer problems that made Turkish Foreign Policy busy were the issues that haven’t been solved exactly because of the various reasons in the Lausanne Conference and the efforts towards solving the problems, with the ‘appropriate to national interests’ way, occurred in the implementation phase of the issues that have been solved in Lausanne Conference. These can be expressed as the Mosul problem with England, the Capitulations and the other problems with France and the Interchange with Greece. The basic principle of the foreign policy that was tracked during Ataturk Period was not giving concession in any way from the independence. Furthermore, it adopted, firstly reaching to the level of contemporary civilization with the sweeping changes carried out in economic, social and cultural fields by the newly established Republic of Turkey and the reforms implemented by Ataturk, and then overcoming this, as ideal. This was an important factor about forming the foreign policy of the period. We need to know the basic tenets of foreign policy executed in Ataturk Period Turkish Foreign Policy, briefly.

These principles can be set forth under the following headings.

  1. Realism

Ataturk's foreign policy is realistic. It does not pursue purposeless dreams .It aims to stay away from adventurism. Besides, it intends to be determined in performing national interests. Ataturk's " We've taken the world's hostility, bad intensions, hatred over this nation and country because of seeming like having done big imaginary works without doing them…Rather than increasing the number of our enemies and the pressure over us by running on the concepts that we haven't done and couldn't have done, we should turn back to natural situation legal situation… We should know our limits …"expression and "even if, not one fifth but each side of our country is being destroyed, each side is being left out in fire, we will go to a top of a hill over this land and will be busy with defending from there." expression reveals this approach clearly.

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b) Independence

For Mustafa Kemal Pasha, the leader of new Turkey which have seen the administrations of Ottoman Empire depended on outside in economic, political, financial; shortly in all sides, the leading goal was the real independence of the established nation. This independence was political, economic, financial, military and cultural independence and could not be budged from them.Indeed,Ataturk clearly reveals his thought in his " When it is said complete independence, of course, it means complete independence and complete freedom in political,financial,economic,judicial,military,cultural and in every similar issue. Lack of independence in any issues I have mentioned means deprivation of whole independence of the nation and the country in real meaning." expressions. By starting from this principle, both in the negotiations made with Western States during the National Struggle and after the Lausanne Peace negotiations they behaved determinedly in every subject that could compromise the principle of independence.  

c) Peacefulness

Another feature of Ataturk Period foreign policy was accepting peace as basis. The most beautiful example of this was given in the National Struggle. Even through the war, every effort was maintained in order to ensure peace by negotiations .As a soldier, as the person who knows best what is war, Mustafa Kemal Pasha would say " I can not be warrior because I know the deplorable conditions of war better than anyone else." Again in his another speech, Mustafa Kemal Pasha would say "War must be necessary and vital…We can go to war against belligerent who say we will kill ,by saying we won't die. But unless life of the nation is not in danger, war is a murder."

Ataturk's peacefulness will find out its meaning again in a statement of himself "Peace at home, peace in the world." which will be the basic approach of Turkish Foreign Policy. However, this young republic that has taken part in maintaining peace, appropriate to this basic approach, in this region; has not followed a submissive and pacifist policy. In another words, it has moved with the stability of making necessary preparations to live in peace and of being ready for war if it is needed for peace.

d) Security Policy

On the other hand, Ataturk, who believed that it is necessary for the young republic to take the necessary security measures so that it could protect itself so defense itself, worked for setting

Turkish Nation's military and economic construction, based on its own power, to a new and solid basis. In this sense, military spending and modernization of the army were carried out simultaneously with the country's economic configuration. Ataturk would emphasize, in one of his speeches, that the nation should has the power and the will to defend itself, as "Believing that the peace we have today would be a peace forever would be simple-mindedness. This is a fact so important that, a blindness in even a moment, will endanger the life of the nation. Indeed, we will never defect in the same respect so long as our law, honour and dignity are respected. But, unfortunately, we have learned that respect to the law of the weak is shortcoming or there is no respect to it, by many painful experiences. For that, we will never delay doing necessary preparations that any probability would require." In the fields that Turkey's own power to protect the peace may be insufficient, in order to ensure the security of the nation; making alliances-within the framework of the balance policy as a requirement of international politics-with the aim of protecting the regional peace was adopted as principle. Indeed, Ataturk acted in this direction and did not avoid from doing the alliances that, he thought, are necessary for the country's security.

e) Westernism

In spite of fighting against Western powers, newly established Republic has followed a path, in every opportunity that will provide rapprochement with West .In this, also, the policies that Ataturk has followed and implemented on the path of modernizing Turkey had a role. Indeed, as new Turkey choose rising to the level of most developed countries and going beyond this as a target, developing relations with  Western countries in this direction has been adopted as basis. As an inevitable result of this Turkey moved on the way of becoming a part of modern civilization by establishing good relations with the Western countries.

f) Rationalism

New state has been linked to the international law in line of the principle of Rationalism. In the period of Ataturk, Turkey's foreign policy approach was not seated on ideological dogmas, biased obsessions but on a line based on mind and science. In this context, in international relations, instead of historical friendships and historical hostility, changing conditions and mutual benefit relationships were considered as the basis. Indeed, Ataturk could have established friendships with countries that have very different political, social and economic patterns and could have given examples of being able to live together in peace. Certainly, such principles as setting up a fair international order, being against colonialism and loyalty to law can be added to the principles mentioned above. Otherwise, his concern about protecting Turkey's security, in means of independence and territorial integrity, affected his foreign policy. One of another factors that have given direction to Turkish foreign policy was that; due to Turkey's geographical position- indeed, due to the reasons like its being a neighbor of Soviet Union, its control over the Bosporus and Hellespont, and its being an important Middle Eastern country in economic and scientific terms- policies depended on this location were produced in determining foreign policy. It can be said that another factor that was a determiner in Turkey's foreign policy is the management philosophy. Although the National Liberation War, launched with Mustafa Kemal Pasha's leadership, occurred against Western states, there hasn't been any movement against Western nation understanding and Western model. On the contrary, Turkish independence movement adopted an understanding which fight against West with the ideas of West and which include progressive, liberal and national elements. With this understanding, Mustafa Kemal Pasha, considering countries as various but civilization as united, in this content, has established good relations withy Western states starting from 1930's.Even,it can be said that beyond good relationships, he intended to take place within European community.Finally,the economic difficulties in the period we have reviewed should be included as another factor that affected Turkish foreign policy.

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II. TURKISH FOREIGN POLICY AFTER ATATURK PERIOD (1938-2002)

After 1930, in which Turkey handled the issues remaining from Lousanne, the world entered into a crisis period and especially the crisis that erupted Europe influenced Turkey. For this reason, the period between two wars was a time in which the seeds of a new world war were discarded rather than being a period of world peace. Except the relatively softening period between 1925-1929, especially after 1929-30 world economic crisis, international tension in the world increased rapidly. An increasingly sharpening polarization break through between ...

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