From chaos to cosmos: Strategic depth and turkish foreign policy in Syria

Abstract

Wars and conflicts have been a key determinant of international system dynamics. The end of the Cold War was especially noteworthy as a new era for all actors in terms of policy making and international dynamics. Then 9/11 completely changed perception of war and American unilateralism triumph shaped the system based on security. As former President Bush said “a new era has started”, in this new order Turkey became more vital for US in its war on terrorism. Although Turkey has never been considered as great power, due its geographical position and historical legacy Turkey is a unique partner. That’s why Turkey’s foreign policy has been influenced and is also influential. That’s why war, peace or any social events in real life should be considered and reanalyzed by nonlinearity and chaos theory. Balance of power and keeping the status quo have been the determinant elements of Turkish foreign policy for the last 50 years.