Turkey’s role in ensuring security in the middle east after the “Arab spring”

Аннотация

As a result of the political, economic, and social instability that began with the “Arab Spring” in the Middle East, ensuring security in the region has become increasingly concerning. Within the region, the activities of radical religious groups, opposition forces against political authority, and separatist factions have intensified simultaneously. In this context, analyzing the role and approaches of regional and global power centers in ensuring security in the Middle East is of great importance. This article examines Turkey's role in maintaining security in the Middle East after the “Arab Spring”. Keywords: Middle East, “Arab Spring,” Kurds, Geopolitics, National Security, Opposition, Crisis. considerable academic interest. Scholars analyzing Introduction: The Middle East holds a significant place Turkey’s role in the region include both Turkish and in human civilization. It is well known that all major Western researchers. monotheistic religions originated in this region before spreading to other parts of the world. In the present Among the Turkish scholars who have extensively day, the number of religious, ethnic, and sectarian studied Turkey’s foreign policy are Ali Balcı (Türkiye dış conflicts in the region continues to rise, increasing politikası: İlkeler, aktörler, uygulamalar, 2013), Mücahit concerns about security. Özçelik (İkinci Dünya Savaşı’nda Türk Dış Politikası, 2010), Tayyar Arı (Geçmişten günümüze Orta Doğu: The Middle East’s vast underground and surface siyaset, savaş ve diplomasi, 2012), and Çağrı Erhan resources, as well as its strategic geographical location, (Türk-Amerikan ilişkilerinin tarihsel kökenleri, 2001). enhance its political and economic significance in international relations. However, not all countries in Western scholars have also examined Turkey’s foreign the region enjoy political or economic stability. Factors policy strategies. Bernard Lewis (Islam and the West, that once united the nations of the Middle East, such as 1993) analyzed the historical relationship between ethnic, religious, and sectarian similarities, are now Islam and the Western world, providing insights into contributing to division and conflict. This situation Turkey’s positioning. Alexander Murinson (The directly affects regional security and socio-political strategic depth doctrine of Turkish foreign policy, 2006) processes. explored Turkey’s geopolitical approach, particularly its “Strategic Depth” doctrine. Henry J. Barkley (Turkish This article focuses on Turkey’s role as a regional power foreign policy and the Middle East, 2011) studied in ensuring security in the Middle East, as well as its Turkey’s diplomatic engagements in the region. concerns and geopolitical interests related to regional stability. In recent years, scholars from Central Asia, including Uzbekistan, have also begun analyzing Turkey’s foreign Literature Review policy more closely, reflecting the growing academic The Middle East has always been a focal point in interest in Turkey’s geopolitical influence in the Middle Turkey’s foreign policy due to its geographical ties to East. the region and its significance for Turkey’s geopolitical Main Part and national security interests. As a result, the study of Turkey’s policies in the Middle East has attracted When we examine the current socio-political processes International Journal of Law And Criminology 24 https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ijlc International Journal of Law And Criminology (ISSN: 2771-2214) in the Middle East, the issue of ensuring security in the countries in the Middle East, Turkey found itself region remains a primary concern due to the situation entangled in numerous challenges. The socio-political arising from the “Arab Spring.” As a result of the instability in the region also led to shifts in Turkey’s involvement of international power centers, political outlook toward the Middle East. At a certain demonstrations that began with the aim and hope of point, due to various reasons, Turkey had tense democratizing the region led to a multitude of security relations with its neighbor, Syria. problems at varying levels, including terrorism, In 1998, Turkey and Syria signed the Adana Agreement, radicalization, and migration. which gradually improved bilateral relations. Despite Some of these problems emerged directly from the pressure from the United States, Turkey-Syria relations demonstrations, while others were the result of long- continued to develop until 2011. In December 2009, standing historical processes that escalated after the then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited 2010 “Arab Spring” protests and the intervention of Damascus with a high-level delegation, and in May international and regional power centers. Before the 2010, Bashar al-Assad’s visit to Turkey took place in a mass protests began in the region, issues such as the completely friendly atmosphere. Arab-Israeli conflict, regime security, the arms race, However, in 2010, mass protests