Abstract:
The Asia, Middle East and the West have all played unique role in shaping thedirection of Turkey`s foreign policy. The Asianness bears the characteristics offeudalism and nobadic life style and this influences many aspects of life ranging fromculinary culture, uncomprosing and hostile attitutes of people towards each other.The Middle Eastern aspect is dominated mainly by Islamic elements. Efforts to putpressures on Muslims living in other parts of the world cause reactions among theTurkish puplic opinion. The Western influence has the most decisive influence inTurkey. Turkey is the only Muslim state in the world implementing a policy ofsecularization. The Turkish elites started the Westernization process nearly 100 yearsearlier (1839) than the elites of the colonized countries. There are differencesbetween the elites and the people in this regard. The foreign policy is shaped byWesternized elites. Turkish Republic was established following the disintegration ofthe Ottoman Empire and many characteristics of the Republic was inherited from theEmpire. In a similar fashion to the Ottoman Empire which was able to utilize theBalance of Powers to its benefit, Turkey was able to benefit from status quo orientedand a balanced foreign policy approach.
