How Ankara approaches some critical foreign policy issues raises doubts about many fundamental past assumptions regarding Turkey’s modus operandi. For example, what is the meaning of Turkey’s desire for what its decision makers call an “independent foreign policy”? Why is developing a robust independent defense industry important? Is its NATO membership in question? Given the ramifications of the war in Ukraine on the international system, will it be possible for Turkey to maintain security relations with both the United States and Russia? Will the process of Turkey joining the EU, already on a rocky road, reach an official end? What is the reason for Turkey’s increased interest in the Middle East, and why is it seen as a controversial actor in so many capitals in the region?
At the domestic level, too, the rhetoric coming from Ankara refers to “a new Turkey.” The attempt of Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to implement what he hopes will be his legacy and the opposition of some segments of the Turkish people to this are sources of much tension. The deteriorating economic situation is translating into a decrease in the level of support for Erdogan and the Justice and Development Party in public opinion polls. The approach to the Kurdish minority in the country remains central.
The close relationship in the past between Israel and Turkey was one of the cornerstones of Israel’s foreign policy, though for more than a decade relations have been strained, if not in crisis. The 2022 normalization has come to an end following the October 7th events, similar to what had occurred in May 2018 in a previous effort to normalize relations. What are the ramifications of such a deterioration, and how should Israel adapt to the new developments?
The Ships that Scuttled Turkey-Israel Relations