Turkey as a Third Pole in the New International Order

This book offers a fresh and rigorous interpretation of Turkey’s international orientation and evolving role in global politics, arguing that Ankara is positioning itself as a “Third Pole” within a rapidly transforming international system. Moving beyond the traditional West–East dichotomy, it demonstrates how contemporary Turkey—shaped by profound ideological, political-economic, and strategic shifts under the AKP—pursues an autonomous and assertive foreign policy that often challenges the liberal, West-centric order. Grounded in a Neoclassical Realist framework, the authors explore why Turkey is frequently conceptualized as an “exceptional state” and what this exceptionality reveals about its foreign policy behaviour. It shows how geography, identity, and shifting global alignments have produced a foreign policy that can be at once cooperative, competitive, and revisionist. The analysis traces the interplay of ideological currents—from Kemalism to Islamism and Eurasianism—culminating in a synthesis of Islamic Eurasianism that increasingly shapes Turkey’s strategic outlook. Central to the argument is the suggestion that conventional categories such as middle power, swing state, or pivotal state fail to capture Turkey’s ambitions and foreign policy behaviour. The original concept of the “Third Pole” is introduced to address this gap, offering a nuanced, country-specific lens to explain Turkey’s aspirations, policy choices, and structural constraints. The concept is tested through four critical case studies—the Syrian conflict, the war in Ukraine, the Greek-Turkish dispute, and the 2023 Gaza War—illustrating how Turkey both influences and adapts to the dynamics of a transitioning international order. The result is a timely account of how Turkey navigates an unstable global landscape while seeking strategic autonomy, regional influence, and a reimagined civilizational and global role.