Reconsidering dilemmas of Turkey’s foreign policy: The case of the Balkans

Abstract

Turkey has started to play a more active role in the Balkans since the early 1990s because of changes in both local agency and global structure. After coming to power in 2002, the Justice and Development Party AKP added further impetus to Turkish foreign policy towards the region by putting forward new actors and bringing in new issues. Business representatives, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency TİKA, Yunus Emre Cultural Centers, the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities, Diyanet, and Turkish cities have become new actors in Turkey’s ties with the region.The article examines changes and continuities in Turkish foreign policy towards the Balkans under the government of the AKP. It first analyses the dilemmas of Turkey’s regional policies based on a case study of the Kosovo conflict and then examines the connection between domestic and foreign policy, thereby evaluating new actors and issues. The paper argues that there are challenges ahead and limitations to Turkey’s appeal to the region, resulting from the tilt towards unilateral policies.