The AKP and the Eastern Turn (?) of Turkey: An Economic Analysis
The AKP and the Eastern Turn (?) of Turkey: An Economic Analysis

Summary/Abstract: Turkey’s improving relations with the non-Western world in general and Middle Eastern countries in particular have created question marks in the minds of many both at home and abroad and led some to the conclusion that Turkey, under the governance of ex-Islamists, is moving away from the West. However, little systematic empirical evidence is offered in support of an ‘axis shift’ during the AKP era. In this study, we investigate the “Turkeyturns- away-from-West” claim by studying changes in Turkish foreign trade between 2002 and 2010. We fail to find a particular pro-Muslim or anti- Western trend in Turkish foreign trade in the AKP era. Thus, our findings lend support to the argument that the AKP’s foreign policy is guided more by a sensible economic rationale than by ideological zeal.

• Details
• Contents