Conference Paper · March 023 citations reads 163 authors

The XXXVI International Scientific Symposium "Multidisciplinary Studies of the Turkish World" 
The 25
th
 of March 2023 ISBN: 978-605-72481-0-7 Eskishehir / Türkiye 
 
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JURUSPRUDENCE AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS / HUKUK VE 
ULUSLARARASI İLİŞKİLER / HÜQUQ VƏ BEYNƏLXALQ MÜNASİBƏTLƏR 
 
A REVIEW OF THEORETICAL APPROACHES TO THE MIDDLE EAST POLICY OF TURKEY 
IN THE MODERN PERIOD
Sultan Zahidov
Senior Lecturer
Baku State University, Azerbaijan 
Orcid id: 0000-0003-3936-3696 
Abstract
: The Middle East Policy of Turkey has occupied the agenda of many politicians, researchers, 
media outlets due to the active and assertive policies pursued by Turkey towards this region. The geostrategic 
importance of the Middle East attracted many regional and global powers to get engaged into the fierce battle 
in the region and Turkey is no exception. The article attempts to explain the Middle East Policy of Turkey 
through the lenses of two contrasting theories: realism and social constructivism. While both theories have 
sufficient explanatory power to explain the major trends in the Middle East Policy of Turkey, nevertheless in 
the modern period, Turkey’s Foreign Policy towards the Middle East is mainly characterized with the elements 
of “Realpolitik” that can be better explained through the school of realism.
Key words
: Turkey, Middle East, social-constructivism, realism, realpolitik
The Middle East Policy of Turkey has become the focal point of major academic researches, 
publications and media coverage. There are various causes that can explain it. First of all, the geostrategic 
importance of the Middle East which makes this region attractive for regional and global powers prompts them 
to view Turkey as one of their rivals. Secondly, foreign policy activism of Turkey and its role as an emerging 
power impacts geopolitical and geo-economic processes in the Middle East region. The recent development of 
processes in the region, including involvement of Turkey into Syrian civil war, Turkey-led operation in Syria 
and Iraq, tense relations between Turkey and some of the regional powers such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and 
Iran once again indicates the significance of this topic.
Since the establishment of its independence in 1923, the Middle East Policy of Turkey has undergone 
a number of transformations. Throughout the 20
th
century the foreign policy of Turkey was based on the 
Kemalist doctrine which envisaged the isolationism of Turkey from the regional processes (Kubicek, 2022). 
However, since this foreign policy course did not correspond to the demands of the existing geopolitical and 
geostrategic conditions, a significant transformation started to take place in Turkey's foreign policy in the 
beginning of 21
st
century. With the emergence of the AKP (Justice and Development Party) as a leading force 
in Turkish politics, Turkey embarked on a more multi-dimensional and active foreign policy course and began 
to pay more attention to the Middle East region, which was previously neglected, but which is of great 
geopolitical and geostrategic importance for Turkey. Turkey's geostrategic position, historical roots and 
religious and cultural ties in the region provide it with more opportunities than non-regional powers, and the 
newly emerging problems in the region required Turkey to conduct a more active foreign policy. One of the 
main aspects of this foreign policy course, which was based on the active application of the "soft power" 
mechanisms, was the "zero problems with neighbors" policy, which included improving relations with 
neighboring states (Işıksal, 2018, p.211).
In order to provide a better understanding of current tendencies in the Middle East Policy of Turkey 
theorethical framework is needed. In this paper, two contrasting theoretical views are examined. At first, 
Middle East Policy of Turkey is explained through the lenses of the main arguments of social-constructivism 
and then the main arguments and explanatory power of the realist school is examined.
Although social-constructivism was not created as a theory of international relations, it began to be 
widely studied in the political intellectual circles of the world since the 90s of the last century. It would not be 
wrong to say that this theory, which developed with the contribution of scientists such as Nicholas Onuf and 
Alexander Wendt, is based on the criticism of neo-realism. Constructivists mainly pay attention to the role of 
ideas, culture, and identity in interstate relations. As Wendt said, culture and ideas are important in shaping 
the reality of international relations. According to Wendt, the values and ideas formed over many years as a 
result of social relations within the state shape the identity of the state, and the identity, in turn, shapes state 
interests and behavior. A state has no permanent interest and this interest depends on its changing identity. 
Went’s article "Anarchy is a what states make of it" is response to Kenneth Waltz's "Theory of International 

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