"Regional Strategic Balance in the Middle East after 2002: Turkey as a Case Study"

Abstract

Since 2002, the Middle East has undergone a series of profound transformations that have significantly reshaped the regional balance of power. These changes stem from a wide range of variables that have affected the region as a whole, most notably the Arab Spring uprisings and the subsequent replacement of political regimes in several regional states, in addition to the emergence of new political and military alliances that have altered the dynamics of regional power. Within this evolving landscape, Turkey has emerged as one of the most influential regional actors in the Middle East, playing a pivotal role in the configuration of the region’s strategic balance. Turkey has pursued this role through the effective employment of smart power—both soft and hard—alongside a multidimensional foreign policy

aimed at achieving a strategic balance on the one hand, and consolidating its regional influence and interests on the other.

This study aims to examine the nature of the regional strategic balance after 2002 and to analyze Turkey’s role in its reconfiguration by assessing its policies toward key regional issues and evaluating the extent to which its strategic orientations have succeeded in advancing its regional aspirations.