Turkish foreign policy under the justice and development party (AKP)‎ : between Kemalism and neo-Ottomanism

Abstract EN

Since the Justice and Development Party (AKP: Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi) came to power in 2002, Turkey's foreign policy orientation became a source of contention as Turkey shifted its interest from the West and focused on the East.

This increasing interest in the Middle East, mainly those countries of the former Ottoman sphere, was interpreted as a major shift away from Kemalism to Neo-Ottomanism.

The present study examines the continuity and change in the Republic's foreign policy for nearly eight decades and discusses the main factors that shaped the country's foreign policy making throughout various administrations.