Turkey's Policy in the Balkans. Continuity and Change in the Erdoğan Era
Turkey's Policy in the Balkans. Continuity and Change in the Erdoğan Era

Summary/Abstract: The article studies the evolution of Turkey’s policy in the Balkans from the 2000s until thepresent. Though Turkey is part of Southeast Europe and has always been involved in the region’s politics, its presence and ambitions expanded with the coming to power of the Justice and Development Party AKP. It has harnessed economic and soft power tools to assert its influence, with Islam playing an increasingly central role – both as a driver and an instrument. As a result, many analysts tend to portray Turkey as a “killjoy” competing with the EU and the United States, exporting its model of governance with a mixture of authoritarian and democratic features.In contrast, this article argues that Turkey is not seeking to undermine Western order but rather to take advantage of it. Economic interdependence and overlapping security interests link Turkey and the West, despite Erdoğan’s divisive rhetoric and politics. In addition, Turkish foreign policy activism in the Balkans has delivered geopolitical and commercial gains for Ankara but also led to setbacks for local actors.

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