Turkey’s Perception of Its Role in the Middle East: From Bridge to Pivot. 1983-2002

This book analyses the changing self-perceptions of Turkish decision makers regarding Turkey’s regional foreign policy in the Middle East between 1983 and 2002. It examines how these self-perceptions have changed from Turkey being a bridge country (kopruulke) to a central country (merkezulke) or pivotal state since the military intervention in 1980 until Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party took office in 2002 and what factors can explain these changes. The author argues that changing regional self-perceptions of Turkey must always be seen in the context of and in interaction with national and international transformation processes and the tension between nationalism and Islam within Turkey. The book expands the image of Turkey in the field of Middle Eastern studies.