Turkey’s 'New' Engagements in Africa and Asia: Scope, Content and Implications

Perceptions: Journal of International Affairs, Vol. 16, No. 3, pp. 115-137, 2011

23 Pages Posted: 8 Jan 2012

Date Written: 2011

Abstract

Since the AK Party assumed power in 2002, Turkish foreign policy has gone through a tremendous change both in its content and scope. The most striking and ‘new’ aspect of Turkey’s foreign policy has been toward Africa and Asia. This article examines and offers a holistic view of these developments. African opening represents a perfect convergence of civil society and state cooperation and bear fruit in political, economic and social terms in a very short time. However, the most important implication is that it aims to conceptualize a ‘new’ Africa in Turkey by overcoming the image of two separate Africa: Sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa. Ankara’s Asia policy has been shaped with an intention of placing the existing relations “in a certain systematic” with the Turkic republics in Central Asia; to reach “a policy of normalization” with countries like China and India; and to follow certain political and economic policies to translate relations “from normal to deep cooperation” with countries like South Korea and Japan.

Keywords: Turkish foreign policy, Africa, Asia, China, India

Suggested Citation

Ozkan, Mehmet, Turkey’s 'New' Engagements in Africa and Asia: Scope, Content and Implications (2011). Perceptions: Journal of International Affairs, Vol. 16, No. 3, pp. 115-137, 2011, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1981651

Mehmet Ozkan (Contact Author)

Sevilla University ( email )

Avda. del Cid s/n
Sevilla, Sevilla 41004
Spain

HOME PAGE: http://works.bepress.com/mehmetozkan/

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