Waves, Ways and Historical Turns

The quest for autonomy is not a new phenomenon in the conduct of Turkish foreign policy. The question is not whether or not Turkey, or its current rulers, will continue to seek autonomy in foreign policy even in an environment that brings them, once more, closer to their Western partners. The real question is whether or not Turkey will be able to consistently have the capacity to pursue an autonomous foreign policy and simply instrumentalize its alliance relations. Turkey faced three waves of environmental challenges since the end of the Cold War. Not coincidentally, these periods also corresponded to the discovery and then twice to the “resurrection” of a “Turkish model” that could be put to use to safeguard mainly Western interests.