Релігійний чинник у внутрішній та зовнішній політиці Туреччини на початку XXI ст.: практики впливу та перспективи

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to study the process of infl uence of the Islamic reli- gious factor on the domestic and foreign policy of modern Turkey. Th e methodological foun- dations of the study are the principles of historicism, objectivity, and systematicity, as well as various methods, among which the main one is the problem-chronological one. Th e methods of content analysis, expert evaluation, etc. were also used. Th e scientifi c novelty lies in an attempt to comprehensively study the Turkish model of Islamism and its impact on Turkey’s domestic and foreign policy in the early twenty-fi rst century. Conclusions. Today, the Turkish leadership is actively using the Islamic religious factor in both domestic and foreign policy. In particular, in domestic politics, Islam of the «Turkish model» is seen as a means of consolidation that will be able to unite representatives of diff erent confessional trends in the country. Th is is also facilitated by the secular nature of the Turkish state as defi ned by the country’s Constitution, which allows it to be a national mediator and not be drawn into interfaith disputes. All of this has allowed for the formation of a special type of «Turkish Islam», which is distinguished by its religious impar- tiality, moderation, and religious tolerance. In its foreign policy, Turkey’s leadership uses the Islamic religious factor to achieve its own geopolitical goals in the Middle East, aimed at turning Turkey into a regional leader. However, as the political practice has shown, Arab countries are not yet ready to recognize Turkey’s leader- ship as the only center of infl uence, due to the powerful religious positioning of Saudi Arabia and Iran. In addition, Turkey’s attempts to resolve the Sunni-Shiite confl ict on the basis of the neo-Ottomanism doctrine have not yet been successful.