Explanation of Turkish Position against Regional Developments(Case Study: ISIS)

The latest developments in the Middle East are considered to be the most extensive and profound developments in the political structure of the countries in the region which started at the wake of popular protests in Tunisia and led their way to Syria. Assuming that the rule of Bashar al-Assad would fall down, Turkey as a regional power and Syria’s neighbor attempted to support the opposition against Syria. After the emergence of ISIS, Turkey adopted a policy of disdain and inaction towards ISIS's activities within Turkey and against Assad. This policy of Turkey towards ISIS caused the formation of a viewpoint, in national and international scale, that Turkey tends to support ISIS. Therefore, the main purpose of the research is to explain Turkey's positions towards the Syrian opposition, especially ISIS.

The method used in this study is descriptive - analytical based on the theory of realism; It examines the different dimensions and angles of Turkey's policies and positions towards Syrian opposition, in particular ISIS.

According to the findings of this study, Turkey, seeking to achieve its goals in this crisis and security concerns stemming from the formation of the Kurdish Corridor, adopted a collaborative approach and supported some of the group's actions.

The results show that, Turkey, in order to revive the hegemony of the Ottoman era, outlined its foreign policy with a view to the East, especially the Middle East - unlike their ancestors whose main goal was the West - Meanwhile, developments in the Middle East, especially the Syrian crisis, have provided Turkey with an opportunity to implement this strategy.