Turkey's Adaptation and Adjustment in the Emerging Post-Western International Order

Abstract

Ten years have passed since Turkey became a NATO member in 1952 and a candidate for the European Union in July 2005. During this decade, the international order has changed in a post-Western way. The relative position of western powers in international politics gradually weakened, and the influence of non-western powers rose accordingly. As part of their soft-balance strategy, Turkey's rulers are now increasingly expressing the view that the world is bigger than five. This paper attempts to analyze Russia's challenge to Western dominance in global politics in the context of Turkey's domestic environment and foreign policy. To what extent and in what ways has Russia set an example for Turkey?