Middle Powers in a Multipolar World: The Case of Turkey’s Foreign Policy Repositioning
Middle Powers in a Multipolar World: The Case of Turkey’s Foreign Policy Repositioning

Summary/Abstract: In today’s emerging multipolar world, middle powers are playing increasingly active roles in regional and global affairs. This article examines Turkey’s foreign policy transformation over the past two decades, focusing on how it has repositioned itself as an assertive and strategically autonomous middle power. While historically aligned with the West through NATO and its EU aspirations, Turkey has adopted a more diversified and multidirectional approach. Methodologically, the study employs a qualitative single-case analysis drawing on official policy documents, leadership discourse, and secondary academic and policy sources. Its outreach now includes deeper engagement in the Middle East, Africa, and Central Asia, expanding cooperation with Russia and China, and more transactional ties with the United States and the European Union. Key drivers behind this shift include domestic political changes, economic needs, and evolving security concerns. Turkey also employs soft power, including humanitarian diplomacy, media influence, and defense exports, as part of a hybrid toolkit to extend its influence. The article finds that Turkey’s repositioning reflects broader patterns of middle-power behavior in a multipolar world. It concludes that its long-term effectiveness will depend on internal stability, economic resilience, and balanced global relations within an increasingly fragmented international order.

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