Еволюція регіональної політики Турецької Республіки

Abstract

Дисертацію присвячено з’ясуванню еволюції регіональної політики Турецької Республіки на основі комплексного аналізу геостратегічних, геополітичних, міжнародних і військово-політичних процесів та чинників, які обумовили активізацію регіональної політики Туреччини в постбіполярний період. З приходом до влади в Туреччині в 2002 р. помірковано-ісламістської ПСР відбулася корекція регіональної політики Турецької Республіки на основі концепції «стратегічної глибини» А. Давутоглу. Імплементація нової зовнішньополітичної концепції Туреччини відобразилась в перегляді відносин з традиційними військово-політичними союзниками США та ЄС, посиленні геополітичної присутності на Балканах, Чорноморському басейні і Кавказі, Близькому Сході і Східному Середземномор’ї, Перській затоці й Центральній Азії та активізації політики в мусульманському світі. The thesis covers the issue of the evolution of Turkey’s regional policy. The work provides a comprehensive analysis of geostrategic, geopolitical, international and military-political processes and factors that led to the intensification of the Turkey’s regional policy in the post-bipolar era. The study focuses on clarifying the role and place of strategic partnership with the United States to guarantee Turkey’s national security, determining the significance of the integration of the Republic of Turkey in the EU to implement its policy at the regional level, characterizing the evolution of Turkey’s policy in the Black Sea region, the study of the Turkish-Israeli strategic partnership, and the reasons of its suspension. A significant component of the relevance of this work is the study of the influence of the processes of so-called “Arab Spring” on the regional and security policy of the Republic of Turkey and its relationship with the Islamic Republic of Iran. There is no doubt that a reorientation of Turkey’s foreign policy is under way, an evolution that began after the ruling moderately-Islamist Justice and Development Party (AKP) rose to power in 2002. The still new “Islamic-conservative” government of Erdogan was increasingly considered both in Washington and European capitals as a “model” to act as a “bridge” between Western democracies and the Muslim world of the Middle East. This transformation was underpinned by the strategic vision of Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who pledged to establish Turkey as an important player in international diplomacy. Turkey’s new foreign policy has been driven by three key factors: reconceptualizing Turkey’s identity and international role, desecuritizing its foreign relations, and increasing its strength as a trading state. As a result, Ankara has become a more confident and assertive international player, vastly improved its relations with Arab neighbors. With a balanced web of relations with other countries, the EU and the United States no longer occupy the central place in Turkey’s foreign policy. While this does not mean that Turkey is moving away from the West – or that the West has lost Turkey – Turkey is striving to create more space in its neighborhood to further its ambitious foreign policy position. Getting its strength from their robust alliance and friendship ties, Turkish-American relations have been progressing on mutual respect and common interests at both bilateral and international platforms such as UN, NATO and G-20. Now bilateral relations have reached the level of “Model Partnership”. While implementing her foreign policy on a global scale with this understanding, Turkey attaches special importance to seeing its positive outcomes in her immediate vicinity, that is to say, in her relations with neighbors. In this context, the discourse of “zero problem with neighbors” is a slogan summarizing Turkey’s expectations with regards to her relations with neighboring countries. Turkey wants to eliminate all the problems from her relations with neighbors or at least to minimize them as much as possible. On the one hand, Turkey would like to develop her relations with Iran with whom she has a long common history and pays attention to preserving good neighborly relations on the basis of mutual interest. On the other hand, Turkey closely follows Iran’s nuclear program, which raises doubts in the international community, and spares no effort to settle this issue through diplomatic and peaceful means. Unfortunately, bilateral relations with another important neighbor Syria has entered into a new phase due to the relentless violent reaction by the regime forces following the popular uprisings of March 2011. This is not due to a failure or inconsistency of the zero problems approach, but the approach of the Syrian regime, which through its actions, made it impossible to continue good neighborly relations. It is concluded that the implementation of the new foreign policy concept of Turkey was reflected in the revision of relations with traditional military and political allies, such as USA and the EU, strengthening of the geopolitical presence in the Balkans, Black Sea basin and Caucasus, Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean, Persian Gulf and Central Asia, and policy activation in the Muslim world.