The Course of Turkish Foreign Policy in Light of Islamic ‎Awakening

The Turkish model of democracy as a special pattern in connecting Islam and democracy has considerable impacts on public opinion and elites of the Arab world. The ruling Justice and Development Party has adopted an efficient diplomacy and meaningful role in regional developments. The present article aims to assess the history of Turkish foreign policy during Ataturk, Erbakan and the Justice and Development Party. The main question is whether the priority of Turkish foreign policy governed by Justice and Development Party regarding regional developments has changed or evolved? The hypothesis of this research is that the main priority of Turkish foreign policy in Erdogan government is membership in the European Union and respect for the political and historical heritage of Ataturk. However, in light of Islamic awakening, the Turkish government has taken a multi-faceted approach which ends up to contradiction and dichotomy between policy and rhetoric.