Soner Çağaptay of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy offers insight into the trends shaping Turkey’s policies today and highlights what this means for the future U.S. Turkey relations in a new strategic report titled “The New Turkey and U.S. policy.”
As Turkey moves toward municipal, presidential, and parliamentary elections over the next three years, all signs point to the ruling Justice and Development Party retaining power for another decade and continuing its effort to mold the country in its Islamist
image. Even so, the new Turkey seems destined to retain the diversity that sets it apart from other regional states: a bit Islamist, a bit secularist, a bit conservative, and a bit Western. This presents Washington with a unique set of opportunities, but taking advantage of them will require a fuller understanding of the nuances underlying Turkish society and politics.
In this new Strategic Report, Çağaptay offers a comprehensive survey of the issues shaping the country’s domestic and foreign policies at a time of booming economic prospects at home and continued turbulence
abroad. From dealing with Iran and Syria to forging consensus with increasingly formidable opposition blocs at home, the AKP faces challenges that will likely steer it in a different direction from the “Arab Spring” countries even as it seeks to become a regional power.