Changing Balance of Power in the Global Setting and “Century of Türkiye” Vision

Abstract

The balance of power in the world is changing and global politics is rapidly moving towards a new multipolar order. Russia is trying to regain its former power, while China is the first and only country that is poised to replace the US economically. India, Brazil, and South Africa are pursuing a more active and pioneering policy in their respective regions than ever before. So, what is the position of Türkiye, one of the rare countries in the Middle East and Central Eurasia that is a leader with its past and current foreign policy, in the new changing global politics and economy? This study analyzes Türkiye's foreign policy regarding its possible position in the new order. Türkiye's foreign policy under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is changing from a traditional and unconditional pro-Western stance to a pro-Islamic and pro-Asian global policy. The Erdogan-era Türkiye has been built on an Asiatic identity that is as much Turkish as it is Islamic, in line with changes in the geopolitical structure of the region and the international conjuncture. Turkishness and Islam are also the motifs on which Türkiye's future vision is founded. Westernization, which has marked the last one hundred years of Türkiye since 1923, is the biggest shortcoming of Erdoğan’s politics. It is not difficult to foresee that post-Erdoğan Türkiye, if it is to become a regional power or a global playmaker, would pursue a foreign policy based on the Turkish-Islamic synthesis. The question is whether the experience of “Westernised” Türkiye that began in 1923 would be integrated into this synthesis, and if so, how. This is likely to be one of the biggest tests of post-Erdoğan Türkiye.