MA Pieper
Turkish foreign policy toward the Iranian Nuclear Programme : in search of a New Middle
East Order after the Arab Spring and the Syrian Civil War
Pieper, MA
Authors
Abstract
Turkey’s role in the Iranian nuclear dossier is often portrayed as that of a ‘facilitator’ and
‘mediator’ in scholarly analyses. NATO member Turkey was seen as a potential bridge-builder
between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the ‘Western camp’ of negotiators. During prime
minister Erdoğan’sfirst legislature, however, Ankara’s and Washington’s foreign policy outlooks
and strategic priorities started to diverge in the course of Turkey’s new regional engagement in
what has been theorized as a ‘Middle-Easternization’ of Turkish foreign policy. It is Turkey’s
location as a geostrategic hub in a politically instable region that informed Turkey’s ‘Zero
problems with neighbors’ policy and foreign minister Davutoğlu’s advocacy for a ‘Strategic
Depth’ in Turkey’s foreign and regional policies. Ankara emphasizes its need to uphold sound
relations with its neighbors and publicly stresses an unwillingness to go along with Western
pressure on Iran, and insists on the principle of non-interference and Iran’s right to use nuclear
power for peaceful purposes. All the same, Turkish-Iranian relations are undergoing a
deterioration in the wake of the Syrian civil war at the time of writing, with both sides supporting
diametrically opposite causes and factions. Turkish-Iranian fundamentally differing conceptions
of regional order will also impact upon Turkey’s leverage power to defuse the Iranian nuclear
crisis. This paper therefore adds a timely contribution to our understanding of a multifaceted and
nuanced Turkish foreign policy toward Iran that can be a critical complement to ‘Western’
diplomatic initiatives in the search for new paradigms for a new Middle East order.
Citation
East Order after the Arab Spring and the Syrian Civil War. Alternatives (Yalova), 12(3), 81-92
| Journal Article Type | Article |
|---|---|
| Acceptance Date | Jun 15, 2013 |
| Deposit Date | Mar 8, 2016 |
| Journal | Alternatives - Turkish Journal of International Relations |
| Print ISSN | 2146-0809 |
| Electronic ISSN | 1303-5525 |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 81-92 |
| Publisher URL | http://alternativesjournal.net/article/view/5000150723 |