Abstract:
This article investigates the impact of economic development
considerations on Turkey's foreign policy. The author maintains
that the last century’s various orientations in Turkey’s foreign
policy, including Westernization, regionalism, and peaceful
coexistence, have been influenced by economic development drives
of the Turkish government. This is more evident particularly
during the rule of the Justice and Development Party (AKP). One
of the outcomes of this article is that during the periods of the
export promotion strategy, the tendency toward peace and active
peaceful interactions is highlighted in Turkey’s foreign policy. This
article is in line with the economic liberalism theory amid
international relations, according to it, the economic development
incentive of states leads to a pacifist foreign policy, limiting the
strict national security policy concerns. Accordingly, the higher the
number of states that go through this process, the more the
international peace and security could be fostered. Thus, it could be
concluded that the active and peaceful foreign policy of the current
Turkey’s administration is somehow the outcome of the intense
economic development concerns (relying on export promotion
strategy) in the AKP .
Machine summary:
"The author maintains that the last century's various orientations in Turkey's foreign (JQ n ~ =0= a policy, including Westernization, regionalism, and peaceful coexistence, have been influenced by economic development drives of the Turkish government.
The important point this article focuses on is that industrialization and economic development policies and plans, whether in the framework of import substitution or export promotion, are not only economy-related and have a close relationship with socio-political considerations of the countries.
This plan which was in line with the solutions proposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) targeted these changes: abandoning the import substitution strategy and replacing it with export promotion strategy, reducing direct government involvement in industry, removing direct foreign investment barriers, liberalizing the prices used in realistic and flexible methodologies in determining foreign currency and interest rates, freeing imports gradually, toughening monetary controls for the purpose of limiting domestic demand and reducing inflation, reforming financial sector and removing cumbersome limitations in financial markets, reforming investments and the public sector manufacturing apparatus for increasing their efficiency and reducing their heavy burden on economy, promoting privatization and limiting activities of the public sector, deregulation and rationalization of the general investment plan, promoting exports by improving production efficiency and export activities, and improving the foreign debt management and credit rating of the country.
Although Turkish economy faced various crises during the past decades, during the recent global economic crisis, thanks to close relations with non-Western powers and particularly neighbors and regional countries, Turkey managed to avoid the crisis despite severe reduction in European demands for their products.
c31) The regional nations were impacted by Turkish economy from two perspectives: On the one hand they realized the outstanding successes and achievements of Erdogan's government in improving economic indicators of Turkey and promoting the welfare of the people; on the other hand they witnessed the increasing Turkish investment and trade in their own country."