Turkish Republic

The End Of The Empire

The Turkish Republic was founded on the ashes of the Ottoman Empire. The years leading to the collapse of the Ottoman Empire caused a big trauma for the Turks. Losing most of the Ottoman lands after several years of bloody wars all around the former Ottoman territories didn't lessen the pain of seeing all the young and most of the older generations die in masses in frontiers. Many schools didn't have any of their students come back from battle fields that were as far as Yemen in the east, Libya in the south and the Balkans in the west. It became so dramatic at one point that the military draft age had to drop as low as 13 to find eligible males in the country to defend Anatolia. All that was left behind from these bloody years was a much smaller Turkish heartland with no educated classes (90% illiteracy rate) and a 40% refugee population from the former territories.

Ataturk

On the other hand, these unfavorable factors paved the road for Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the legendary Turkish commander of the Gallipoli campaign in WWI, to emerge as one of the most brilliant leaders of the century and lead his nation to a new future through one of the darkest days of its history. Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey, was an unusually insightful leader, reforming his nation by changing its entire trajectory of development toward a goal of modernization and increased civil rights in an era when tyrannical waves were sweeping the world; namely, Mussolini in Italy, Hitler in Germany and later Franco in Spain. The years following Ataturk's death were not as smooth and the road to pluralistic democracy was tumultuous: Turkey faced three major military coups and even endured the execution of one prime minister and two ministers by a military junta following a coup in 1960. During all these years, partly due to the big trauma caused by the bloody wars in the early part of the century, Turkey followed a very intraverted and insular foreign policy, ignoring its region, and had almost no relations with any of its neighbors.

The New Turkish Foreign Policy

However, things have started to change after the late 1990s. With the unprecedented reforms and developments in both Turkish economy and democracy, Turkey has again assumed a more active role in the international arena by switching to a new foreign policy that dictates zero problems with its neighbors and promoting peace and stability in and beyond its immediate region. As a result of its improved relations with neighbors, Turkey has used its soft power to intervene as a key mediator in many regional conflicts, including those between Syria and Israel, Palestine and Israel, Afghanistan and Pakistan, Russia and Georgia, Syria and Iraq and in Lebanon. In fact, Turkey is now the only country that enjoys good relations with every country in the Middle East, a dangerous neighborhood with many frozen conflicts. Turkey has also had continous cooperation with the U.S. in the region and has participated in several peacekeeping missions such as in Afghanistan, Kosovo, Lebanon and Sudan.

Turkey's willingness to engage hasn't just been limited to its immediate region. As a result of Turkey's opening to Africa in 2005, the African Union declared Turkey a strategic partner after China, India, and Japan in January 2008. More importantly, Turkey is now a UN Security Council member for 2009-2010; this is an important position where Turkey can use its current experience as a promoter of stability and democracy on a broader level, especially in bridging the divide between East and West.

Turkey: An Emerging Global Peacemaker

Turkey, with the fastest growing economy and the youngest population in Europe and its new energy hub position between the energy-rich countries of Central Asia and the Middle East and Europe, has emerged as a regional power. Not surprisingly, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Turkey an "Emerging Global Power" in one of her recent foreign policy addresses in July 2009. If the internal reforms continue, and Turkey can solve its Kurdish issue and restore relations with Armenia, the last roadblocks for Turkey's global role as a peacemaker will be removed. A Turkey, with its rising importance and willingness to engage in mediating conflicts, has a lot to offer in promoting peace on a global level.