Araştırma Makalesi / Research Article/ Rethinking Eurasian Geopolitics: Assessing Türkiye's Influence and the Organization of Turkic States' Impact / Çağatay Özdemir / bilig Türk Dünyası Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi 110 (original) (raw)

Turks in the Changing World Order: The Organization of Turkic States

The Defence Horizon Journal, 2022

The increasing cooperation of Turkic Speaking States under the umbrella of the Organization of Turkic States attracted attention while the world was on the verge of a global change. The unity of the Turks was evaluated as "Pan Turkism" and "Turan". Some researchers interpreted the rise of Turkism as increasing competition in Eurasia against China and Russia. It is an important discussion topic how the Turk states should understand the development of cooperation. It is necessary to evaluate the geopolitical position of the Turk states in the Belt and Road Initiative and the global balance of power. This study evaluated the rise of Turkism in the 21st century and the role of the organisation of Turkic states in the global order.

Organization of Turkic States in the Context of New Asian Geopolitics

BRIQ 2024 Autumn, 2024

The article discusses the increased geopolitical importance of Central Asia following the collapse of the Soviet Union and its impact on the roles of newly independent states (Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan) in the region, as well as Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia in the Caucasus. These states face conflicts of interest with major powers over energy resources, trade routes, and security issues. The Organization of Turkic States (OTS) is examined as a new actor in this geopolitical landscape, focusing on its influence on economic cooperation, cultural unity, security alliances, and strategic partnerships in Central Asia and the Caucasus. Türkiye’s leadership role and the potential future role of the OTS are also highlighted. The main goals of the OTS include strengthening political and security cooperation, enhancing collaboration in economic and energy sectors, combating terrorism, and sharing information. Projects like the Middle Corridor and TANAP support trade and energy flow in the region. The organization’s alignment with China’s Belt and Road Initiative enhances its economic power. However, the OTS faces challenges such as being a young organization with a lack of international recognition, and dealing with economic and political disparities among its member states. The question of how the OTS will balance with other major powers in the region remains significant for its future.

Türkiye’s Promotion of the Integration of Turkic States: Context, Practice, and Influence

BRIQ 2024 Autumn, 2024

In the context of the “New Great Game” in Central Asia, Türkiye has taken advantage of the image of “Turkic leadership” created by the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, seized the opportunity of U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war, and actively promoted and led the integration of Turkic-speaking States. Türkiye’s enthusiasm is a manifestation of its strategic adjustment that puts greater emphasis on strategic autonomy. In this process, Türkiye’s primary advantage lies in its soft power; its main approach is to foster multilateral cooperation alongside bilateral partnerships. The core focus remains on energy and trade collaboration. Pan-Turkic cooperation is subject to varying considerations regarding extraterritorial powers by Russia, China, and Iran. The impact of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) on Eurasian geopolitical dynamics will depend on its ability to avoid being manipulated as a pawn in the great powers’ geopolitical competition.

Geopolitics, Identity and Beyond: Turkey's Renewed Interest in the Caucasus and Central Asia

Turkey's Pivot to Eurasia: Geopolitics and Foreign Policy in A Changing World Order, 2019

This chapter provides an overview of Turkey’s renewed interest in the Caucasus and Central Asia. It starts with discussing the new geopolitical trends in Eurasia, with a focus on how Ankara has perceived them. Ankara welcomes China’s grand economic projects, as it expects to increase its economic connectivity with Eurasia. It also expects the Belt and Road Initiative to contribute to Turkish exports and investments in the Caucasus and Central Asia. Then the chapter analyses Turkey’s initiatives to institutionalize its ties with countries in the Caucasus and Central Asia. The most important among those initiatives are the Turkic Council, which was established in 2009, and the various trilateral cooperation mechanisms that Turkey formed together with Azerbaijan. The chapter then continues with discussing Turkey’s economic ties with the region, which remained miniscule compared to the Turkish economic activism elsewhere. No deep form of regionalism exists between Turkey and the states of the region, while Ankara preserves its efforts to enhance mutual understanding and strengthen the foundations of its presence in post-Soviet Eurasia. The third section examines Turkey’s bilateral ties with Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, since they are the two most significant countries in terms of Turkish foreign policy towards the region.

Turkey and Turkic Nations: A Post-Cold War Analysis of Relations

Turkish Studies, Volume 14, Issue 2, 2013

Abstract: Turkish foreign policy has experienced massive alterations after the end of Cold War. This has been most evident in Turkey’s relations with Turkic nations in Central Asia and the Caucasus, all of which gained independence from the USSR. This article aims to provide a thorough analysis on this issue. First, the article explores the ethnicity concept and applies it to the relations between Turkey and Turkic nations. Then, it examines Turkey’s relations with other regional and international powers, namely Russia, the USA, and Iran, through the lenses of Central Asia and the Caucasia. Finally, the article questions the often monolithic view of Turkic nations in the eyes of the Turkish public and delves into the rich yet diverse bilateral relations between Turkey and each Turkic state. To this end, it analyzes Turkey’s political, economic, and cultural ties with Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Carefully going over all of these subjects, the article intends to illustrate the multifaceted nature of Turkey’s relations with Turkic nations and the prospects and obstacles ahead.

The Evolution of 'Eurasia' as a Geopolitical Concept in Post-Cold War Turkey

This article aims to discuss and analyse the major factors behind the emergence and evolution of “Eurasia” as a geopolitical concept in Turkey in the post–Cold War period. For this purpose, special focus will be placed on Turkish political, academic and intellectual circles' redefinition of their geopolitical outlook towards Russia and the Turkic republics of Central Asia and Caucasus in the 1990s and 2000s. The major argument of the article in this regard is that while discourses such as Pan-Turkism, Eurasianism and Neo-Ottomanism have exercised a degree of influence over the conceptualisation of Eurasia in Turkish academic and intellectual circles, the concept has been generally treated as an instrument of pragmatism by Turkish policymakers. This pragmatism is not only reflected in their geo-economic calculations in the field of energy pipelines, but also the reasoning behind the striking improvement of political and economic relations between Turkey and Russia in the 2000s.

Rise of New Centres of Power in Eurasia: Implications for Turkish Foreign Policy

The emergence of new centres of power in Eurasia has entailed a re-reading of Zbigniew Brzezinski's book which drew an analogy between the Eurasian supercontinent and a grand chessboard. Following the global financial crisis of the last few years, countries like China, Russia and India have started to project greater global political and economic influence. Eventually, Eurasia has become a geopolitical symbol signifying a multipolar world order unlike fifteen years ago when Brzezinski wrote his book in a world dominated by the US superpower. The changes in the geopolitical meaning of Eurasia have also been very important for Turkey for a number of reasons. First, it is a country that is strategically located at the meeting point of Europe and Asia. Second, its economy has grown at an impressive rate throughout the 2000s turning it into a rising Eurasian power. Third, its multi-dimensional foreign policy approach in the last decade has enabled it to develop closer relations with the Eurasian states.