Turkey's Foreign Policy in the Middle East Prior to and After the Arab Spring With a Special Focus on Syria
2015
Abstract
With the onset of the Arab revolutions, Turkey abandoned its pragmatic ""zero problems policy"" as it had to choose between a normative approach in its foreign policy (i.e. destruction of authoritarian regimes) and instrumental approach (i.e. support to authoritarian leaders to preserve economic ties). Moreover, the ongoing civil war in Syria, in which Turkey supports the Sunni forces to weaken the Shia-led and Iran-backed Assad regime, puts Turkey right in the middle of regional sectarian conflicts.
This paper thus aims to critically assess Turkey's role in the Middle East prior to and after the Arab Spring while paying a particular attention on Syria.