| ID | 130937 |
| Title Proper | Turkey after the Arab Spring |
| Other Title Information | policy dilemmas |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Yak??, Ya?ar |
| Publication | 2014. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Turkey's attitude regarding developments in the countries affected by the "Arab Spring" varied according to the approach of the ruling Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalk?nma Partisi, AKP) and its perceptions of the countries in question.
In Tunisia, Annahda, a political party that originated from the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) tradition, emerged as the strongest political movement after the fall of the Ben Ali regime. Annahda has an ideological affinity with the AKP, which also has Islamist roots. There is, in addition, a deep-rooted tradition in Tunisia to regard Turkey as a source of inspiration for various reforms. Turkey was, at the beginning of the Arab Spring, referred to by some as a role model. This concept did not acquire much content as time went by, however.
In Libya, Turkey hesitated at the beginning to get involved in the crisis and even wanted to keep NATO out of it.1 Seeing, however, that "a coalition of the willing" was going to intervene with or without Turkey, it made a swift change and participated in the operations with six aircraft and five ships.
When the mainly Shia population of Bahrain wanted to follow the example of the other Arab Spring countries and protest against its Sunni ruler, Saudi Arabia formed a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) intervention force, composed mainly of Saudis, and repressed the demonstrations with a ruthlessness comparable to the methods used by the ousted regimes in the other Arab countries. The international community adopted a double standard and kept silent; Turkey went along with this consensus.
Turkey's reaction to the events in Yemen was restrained; it was viewed as a distant country and of low priority on the international agenda. The fact that Saudi Arabia stepped in as the main actor may also have played a role in Turkey's lack of enthusiasm for getting involved more deeply. |
| `In' analytical Note | Middle East Policy Vol.21, No.1; Spring 2014: p.98-106 |
| Journal Source | Middle East Policy Vol.21, No.1; Spring 2014: p.98-106 |
| Key Words | Turkey ; Arab World ; Arab Spring ; International Relations - IR ; Politics ; Muslim World ; Dilemma ; Political Dilemma ; Ethnic Groups ; Arab - Turkey Relations ; Middle East ; Policy Dilemmas ; Saudi Arab ; Tunisia ; Libya ; NATO ; Gulf Cooperation Council - GCC |