Turkish Foreign Policy in Post Cold War Era

Abstract

With the end of Cold War discipline the world has entered a new era. Parameters have changed; new handicaps as well as new opportunities have been created for countries. Turkey as a neighbor of former USSR, a member of NATO and located at the center of a sensitive region covered by Caucasus, Balkans and Middle East, has been affected by the end of Cold War radically. Turkey has lost some of her bargaining cards in the new era and therefore has needed new arguments. This need encouraged Turkey to take active steps in Post Cold War era. This book analyzes Turkey s relations with US, EU, Balkans, Middle East, Caucasus, Central Asia, Russia, China and Japan. At the same time, effects of economic crises and domestic developments on foreign policy, Turkish model in Turkish foreign policy, water conflict and Kurdish problem are analyzed as well. To conclude, it is possible to argue that although Turkey lost some of her bargaining cards in Post Cold War era, new developments pushed Turkey to the center of world politics rather then to periphery.

Contributors:

Meliha Benli Altunisik, Deniz ulke Aribogan, Huseyin Bagci, Idris Bal, Zeyno Baran, Fulya Kip Barnard, Erol Bulut, Ibrahim S. Canbolat, Saziye Gazioglu, Ramazan Gozen, Saban Kardas, H. Bulent Olcay, Cengiz Okman, Henry E. Paniev, Victor Panin, Dirk Rochtus, Faruk Sonmezoglu, Gul Turan, Ilter Turan, Mustafa Turkes, Nasuh Uslu.

About the Author

Idris Bal was born in Kütahya (Turkey) in 1968. Between 1985-1989, he studied Political Science at Istanbul University. After graduation, he became a research assistant at the Police Academy, Faculty of Security Sciences (a state University) in Ankara and continued his studies in the Politics Department of Nottingham University, UK. He received his MA in International Relations in September 1992. Then, he studies in the Department of Middle Eastern Studies at Manchester University and received his Ph.D. degree in 1998. After he returned to Turkey, he was appointed as Assistant Professor Dr. in 1998. He was deputy editor of Journal of Police Sciences (Polis Bilimleri Dergisi) between 2001- 2003. “Fulbright” awarded him a scholarship and he studied at Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard University in the term 2003-2004. He worked on “Place of Turkey in US Foreign Policy After 11 September Attacks and Cooperation Against Terrorism”. He is currently lecturer at Faculty of Security Sciences, Police Academy (a state university) in Ankara. He is also lecturing in Institute of Social Sciences (master courses) in Atilim University (a private university) in Ankara. He has four published books; Turkey’s Relations with the West and the Turkic Republics: Rise and Fall of the Turkish Model, Aldershot: Ashgate Publications, 2000, 232 pages; (Ed.), 21. Yüzyilin Esiginde Türk Dis Politikasi (Turkish Foreign Policy at the Threshold of the 21. Century), Istanbul: Alfa Publications, 2001, 732 pages; (Co-ed.), Dünden Bugüne Türk Ermeni Iliskileri (Turkish Armenian Relations from the Past to the Present), Ankara: Nobel Publications, 2003, 734 pages; (Ed.), 21. Yüzyilda Türk Dis Politikasi (Turkish Foreign Policy in the 21. Century), Ankara: Nobel Publications, 2004, 994 pages, (revised and expanded version of the second book). He has several articles on Turkish Foreign Policy, Eurasian social, political and economic developments, World Politics, Turkish-US-EU relations, Islam, Middle East and terrorism. His research interests include world politics, US foreign policy, Turkish foreign policy, global rivalries, hydrocarbon issues, Islam and politics, and global terrorism.