Europe
Turkey: A Rising Power in the Backyard of Europe
According to Alice Lyman Miller, Professor of National Security Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School, the definition of a superpower is “a country which has the capacity to project dominating power and influence anywhere in the world, and sometimes, in more than one region of the globe at a time, and so may plausibly attain the status of global hegemony”. A superpower is not only militarily strong but also has a strong economy as well as is self sufficient and politically stable [Read: Top 10 Superpowers of the World]
Turkey bridges Asia and Europe, geographically and culturally, and occupies a strategic geopolitical position on the world map. The land, which was once a hub of trade routes, is now a hub of strategic pipelines. It is the 17th largest economy in the world and, according to Goldman Sachs, it would be breaking into the elite club of top 10 economies by 2050. Turkey is the voice of modern Muslim world as well as a member of NATO. Hence, it is believed that the country can play a major role in initiating a peace process between the Middle East and West.
John Feffer, the co-director of Foreign Policy in Focus at the Institute for Policy Studies says, “All roads once led to Rome; today all pipelines seem to lead to Turkey. If superpower status followed the rules of real estate — location, location, location — then Turkey would already be near the top of the heap.”
Talking about real estate, the period of 2003 to 2005 was seen as a gilded age for the real estate industry of the country, as property purchases were opened for foreign nationals in 2003. Turkey became popular for wealthy Europeans and American property buyers who bought property in Altinkum, Istanbul, and other holiday destinations, bringing in lots of investment.
Looking at the amicable and progressive conditions in and around Turkey, some analysts have even mentioned Turkey as China of Eurasia. There have been many case studies and reports of Turkey possibly chasing China in almost every area. [Read: Stealth Superpower: How Turkey Is Chasing China in Bid to Become the Next Big Thing; Assessing Turkey’s Potential as a Global Superpower]
Like China and India, Turkey also managed to endure the recession wave in recent years. There was not a single Turkish bank which had gone under. That is probably because, unlike many Western banks, they have few toxic assets and limited mortgage exposure, as pointed out by The Economist, so the government did not have to divert public money into rescuing banks. However, its economy budget deficit swelled to 23.2 billion Turkish liras ($15 billion) in the first half of 2009, 13 times higher than last year.
In 2011, Turkey experienced a colossal growth of 9.6% in the first 9 months of the year, making the country one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
Brent E. Sasley, Assistant Professor in Political Science at the University of Texas at Arlington, says Turkey certainly has the ability to be a regional power, especially in the Middle East.
“The shift to a private sector economy, combined with the foreign loans, gave a real boost to the economy,” Sasley said. “It has a large population, a dynamic reserve of human capital, a growing economy, a central location, and a history of being a contiguous great power with a high civilization and leadership role.”
Turkey’s strategic position and its growth stories makes it a substantial contender for the EU membership, although its major part lies in Asia. Turkey has been in discussion for years on EU’s table for the possible inclusion of the country in the group. If the European Union was not in the picture, Turkey would have caught the attention of BRIC nations. Many analysts believe that the addition of Turkey in the original BRIC nations could have been a better move, rather than the inclusion of South Africa.
Professor Aslı U. Bâli of UCLA School of Law explains that Turkey’s current position is actually an outcome of the “zero problems with neighbors” policy, that prioritized stability and peace in the region. She argued that the foreign policy was not so much an outcome of Turkey’s desire to lead the region, as it was a byproduct of the Arab Spring, requiring Turkey to take a leadership role as a non-Arab state in the midst of regional turmoil. [Read:Turkey: What to Make of the New Superpower in the Middle East]
She further added, “to exert its “zero problems with neighbors” policy, Turkey advocated speaking to all sides. That includes mediating between Israel and Syria, and between Iran and the international community on the nuclear issue.”
To appease western nations, Turkey allowed Europe and the United States funding a series of pipelines that uses Turkish territory in a bid to bypass Russia. At the same time, it negotiated with Russia for another project of pipelines—the South Stream, which goes from Russia to Bulgaria through Turkish territorial waters, and the Samsun-Ceyhan pipeline that would transport Russian and Kazakh oil from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean through Turkey. However, with the Arab Spring rolling on, it looks like an arduous task for Turkey to maintain the same policy, since it has already ceased its support to Libya and now to Syria.
Nevertheless, there are strong claims of Turkey following the path of China, but it is more relevant if we look from the European perspective. Europe has recently seen downfall of some of its big economies. At this time, Europe would require a strong nation that can support a collective growth and recovery of the continent.
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