Harmonization of Turkey's Political, Economic, and Military Interests in the 1950s: Reflections on Turkey's Middle East Policy

Abstract

In the 1950s, the Democrat Party government in Turkey adopted a more active policy in the Middle East. This strategy had three dimensions: (1) to implement policies in the region in accordance with the USA in order to maintain American political, economic, and military support; (2) to play a bridge role between the West and the Middle East to gain the support of smaller states in the Baghdad Pact; and (3) to develop economic relations with states in the region especially during crises in the late 1950s. This article argues that Turkish decision-makers tried to act strategically, despite their misreading of developments and dynamics in the Middle East, and that they pursued pro-American policies as long as they served Turkish interests. Accordingly, they did not hesitate to establish economic relations with the Soviet Union and Egypt, with which Turkey had problematic political relations, when US support declined.