Turkey’s standing as an emerging power has evolved since the turn of the 21st century and its new forays into regions such as central Asia, Africa and Latin America have attracted wide international attention. From its initiatives in the Horn of Africa to its involvement in civil wars in the Middle East, Ankara’s formulation of a ‘new’ Turkish foreign policy reflected changing domestic and external factors as well as an overall trend away from Western orientation to emerging power foreign policy.
Analysing the interplay between domestic and external drivers of Ankara’s foreign policy outreach will allow us to better grasp Turkey’s engagement with international politics. LSE IDEAS Turkey and the World aims to contribute to academic and policy debates on contemporary trends in Turkish foreign policy.
- Turkey’s Involvement in the Libyan Conflict, the Geopolitics of the Eastern Mediterranean and Drone Warfare. Süsler, Buğra, 2022. London: LSE IDEAS.
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Research project: ‘Turkish Foreign Policy in an Era of Regional and Global Turmoil’ (2018-2022)
This research project was supported by LSE’s Research Infrastructure Investment Fund (RIIF), LSE International Relations Department, LSE IDEAS, and LSE Global South Unit, and was a collaboration with Koç University. There are several publications that came out of this project:
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Yilmaz, Suhnaz, 2023. ‘Facing new security threats in an era of global transformations: Turkey's challenges of energy security, climate change and sustainability’. Turkish Studies.
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Süsler, Buğra and Chris Alden, 2022. ‘Turkey and African Agency: The Role of Islam and Commercialism in Turkey’s Africa Policy’. The Journal of Modern African Studies. Volume 60, No 4, pp. 597-617.
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Kutlay, Mustafa and Ziya Öniş, 2021. ‘Turkish foreign policy in a post-western order: strategic autonomy or new forms of dependence?’ International Affairs, Volume 97, No 4, July 2021, Pages 1085–1104.
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Levaggi, Ariel González and Federico Donelli, 2021. ‘Turkey's changing engagement with the global South’, International Affairs, Volume 97, No 4, July 2021, Pages 1105–1124.
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Dalacoura, Katerina, 2021. ‘Turkish foreign policy in the Middle East: power projection and post-ideological politics’, International Affairs, Volume 97, No 4, July 2021, Pages 1125–1142
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Turkey: An Emerging Middle Power in a Changing World?
Turkey has increased its international presence in recent years and attracted wide academic attention. In this Strategic Update, Dr Buğra Süsler discusses Turkey’s engagement with global politics, questioning whether and how Turkey fits into the international system as an “emerging middle power”.
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With recent elections in Turkey, and forthcoming voting in South Africa and the Western world (the UK, EU and the US), this panel will delve into the aspirations and perspectives of global middle powers, and will analyse the impact of their rise on the global order.
Find out more and register
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NATO Enlargement and Türkiye's Partnership with the West, Wednesday 24th Jan, 6-7.30pm
This event brought together experts and practitioners to examine Türkiye’s past and future role within NATO in light of the organisation’s 75th anniversary, its recent enlargement and current challenges.
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After the Earthquakes: Turkish Elections, Politics and Foreign Policy in 2023
This event will explore the consequences of the 6 February 2023 earthquakes for Turkish society, politics and foreign policy.
- Research workshop: LSE IDEAS Turkish Foreign Policy Workshop. 5-6 October 2022.
This event examined contemporary trends in Turkish foreign policy as a part of the collaborative research project with Koç University. Speakers: Şuhnaz Yılmaz, Belgin Şan Akça, Mustafa Kutlay, Chris Alden, Katerina Dalacoura, Buğra Süsler.
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Conference: Turkish Foreign Policy in an Era of Global and Regional Turmoil
This conference was held in Istanbul, Turkey, in collaboration with LSE International Relations Department and Koc University the Center for Research on Globalization, Peace, and Democratic Governance (GLODEM) and International Relations Department. 7-9 February 2019. Speakers: Chris Alden, Buğra Süsler, Katerina Dalacoura, Tarık Oğuzlu, Şuhnaz Yılmaz, Belgin Şan Akça. Discussant: Ziya Öniş.
Meet the Team
Dr Buğra Süsler, Head of Turkey and the World at LSE IDEAS.