Turkish Influence in the South Caucasus and Levant

This book examines Turkey's growth as a power under the Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi; AKP) government, and the implications for European institutions. In particular, this study: - reflects on the intertwined historical connection between Turkey and Europe in the South Caucasus and Levant; - examines the extent to which Turkey's interest and policies under the AKP and European Union (EU)- North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) interest and policies intersect and diverge in the two regions; and - evaluates the implications and avenues for cooperation in areas of common interest. The analysis and assessment shows Turkey's policies in the South Caucasus dovetail with EU-NATO regional interest and are not politically Islamic but pragmatic in nature. In the Levant, similar to the South Caucasus, the AKP's interest and policies are somewhat aligned to those of EUNATO; however, the regions volatility and Turkey's cultural and religious linkages to the Middle East are an added dimension which shapes the AKP's independent foreign policy trajectory. Additionally, realpolitik, not Islamism, rules the AKP's interaction with both state and non-state regional political actors.