Description
Turkey's foreign policy has transformed from the Kemalism doctrine to the Erdogan’s hegemonic vision. Erdogan's policy of 'Neo-Ottomanism' replaced the notion of Kemal's isolationism and neutrality, which highlighted Turkey's assertive and ambitious footprint in regional and global politics. With the onset of the Neo-liberal paradigm and democracy promotions adhering to the norms of the European Union, the Ozal government focused on its structural reforms where Turkey acted as a bridge between the 'Oriental' and the 'Western World,' where it diversified its foreign policy aligning with the Soviet Union. Therefore, highlighting the fall of the Cold War crisis in the 1990s, it witnessed the changing world order in which the United States (US) became the dominant power influencing global politics. Following this, the US viewed Turkey as a strategic partner due to the Gulf Crisis, in which the latter projected itself as the stabilizer and net security provider in the West Asian region. In this context, Turkey's aspiring role as a multi-regional power has manifested itself in the region through its policy of 'Zero Problems with Neighbors' since the Post-Cold War crisis. Subsequently, the advent of Erdogan's governance in 2003 proactively asserted its hegemonic ambitions that focused on reviving the 'Islamic Ummah' through its broader 'Turkiye' policies.
Therefore, this study analyzes Turkey's foreign policy from multi-regional power to the status quoist since the Post-Cold War. Through a qualitative approach, this article analyses a case study of various West Asian countries, such as Greece, Cyprus, Syria, and Iran, that would test the hypothesis. Such cases would analyze Turkey's hegemonic ambitions and its policy implementation challenges. Further, this paper will evaluate the 'Decision Making Theory' as a conceptual framework.
Thus, the paper aims to show Turkey’s rising ambitions and challenges in the West Asian region.
Keywords: Neo-Ottomanism, Neo-liberal, Cold War, Decision Making Theory
