| ID | 158737 |
| Title Proper | Islamism and Turkey’s foreign policy during the Arab Spring |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Başkan, Birol |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | The Arab Spring truly caught Turkey by surprise. In interpreting what was happening in the region, Turkey’s foreign policy-makers relied on a particular view, which helped steer Turkey’s foreign policy in the ensuing regional earthquake. This article seeks to dissect that view and deconstructs its main components mainly through the speeches of Ahmet Davutoğlu, who served as Turkey’s Minister of Foreign Affairs during the heyday of the Arab Spring. The paper also illustrates how Davutoğlu’s interpretation heavily borrows from the Islamist interpretive frame of modern Turkish history. That frame, this article claims, originated in the late Ottoman period and has since evolved in contestation with alternative readings, both official and non-official. The article suggests that Davutoğlu’s view of the Arab Spring helps explain why Turkey welcomed the Arab Spring and advised Arab regimes to implement political reforms. |
| `In' analytical Note | Turkish Studies Vol. 19, No.2; Mar 2018: p.264-288 |
| Journal Source | Turkish Studies 2018-04 19, 2 |
| Key Words | Islamism ; Turkish Foreign Policy ; Arab Spring ; Ahmet Davutoğlu |