Turkey's Role in the Middle East

{
  "authors": [
    "Henri J. Barkey"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
    "Carnegie Europe",
    "Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center"
  ],
  "collections": [
    "Turkey’s Transformation"
  ],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "menaTransitions",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "MEP",
  "programs": [
    "Middle East"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "Middle East",
    "Türkiye",
    "Egypt",
    "Gulf",
    "Levant",
    "Europe"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Security"
  ]
}

In The Media

Turkey's Role in the Middle East

Turkey is one of the most economically and politically powerful states in the Middle East and it has recently been taking steps to fill the leadership vacuum that exists in the region.

By Henri J. Barkey

Published on Jun 8, 2010

Source: Al Jazeera's Inside Story

During the end of the Bush administration, Turkey began to position itself to fill the leadership vacuum in the Middle East. Turkey is one of the most economically and politically powerful states in the region. Its government brokered negotiations between the Syrians and the Israelis. Yet while those negotiations demonstrate the strength of Turkey’s ambitions, Carnegie’s Henri Barkey suggested that “the importance of these negotiations should not be exaggerated;” no real deal could have been made without U.S. involvement and approval.

Addressing concerns that the United States and Turkey are becoming increasingly estranged, Barkey asserted that “the big problem between the United States and Turkey is Iran; everything else is just a sideshow.” Ultimately, he concluded, the Turks and Americans remain important allies and will continue to cooperate on the multitude of regional issues where their interests coincide.

About the Author

Henri J. Barkey

Former Visiting Scholar, Middle East Program

Barkey served as a member of the U.S. State Department Policy Planning Staff, working primarily on issues related to the Middle East, the Eastern Mediterranean, and intelligence from 1998 to 2000.

Recent Work

Article
Winners and Losers in Turkey’s Election
- Henri J. Barkey
Article
The Road to Turkey’s June Elections: Crises, Strategies, and Outcomes
- Henri J. Barkey

Security Middle East Türkiye Egypt Gulf Levant Europe

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center

Commentary
Carnegie Politika
As It Turns 25, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Reflects the New World Order
With the growth in points of friction between the great powers, organizations like the SCO will continue to play a role in the strategic adaptation of the smaller powers caught between them.
Temur Umarov
Commentary
Carnegie Politika
Russia Is Approaching a Political Crossroads
Two divergent trends—Putin’s hardline vision of how to prosecute the war in Ukraine, and a growing desire for change in Russia—could tear the regime apart.
Tatiana Stanovaya
Commentary
Carnegie Politika
What Should We Take From Andrey Melnichenko’s Essay in the Economist?
Andrey Melnichenko’s essay offers no answer to the fundamental question of how, under any kind of negotiated settlement, Europe can protect itself from the Russian ressentiment that is inevitable in all scenarios except for an outright victory for Putin.
Leonid Bershidsky
Commentary
Carnegie Politika
Moldova’s Ruling Party PAS Must Graduate From Crisis Management to State Governance
Whether PAS can refocus on the unfinished business of state-building may ultimately prove more consequential for Moldova’s European future than the pace of its accession negotiations.
Balázs Jarábik
Commentary
Carnegie Politika
Lukashenko’s Concessions to Kyiv Reflect Russia’s Weakness
The recent damage inflicted by Ukrainian drones and missiles on Russia has made Belarus aware of its own vulnerabilities—and surprisingly amenable to Kyiv’s demands.
Artyom Shraibman

More Work from Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center

Commentary

Carnegie Politika

As It Turns 25, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Reflects the New World Order

With the growth in points of friction between the great powers, organizations like the SCO will continue to play a role in the strategic adaptation of the smaller powers caught between them.

Temur Umarov

Commentary

Carnegie Politika

Russia Is Approaching a Political Crossroads

Two divergent trends—Putin’s hardline vision of how to prosecute the war in Ukraine, and a growing desire for change in Russia—could tear the regime apart.

Tatiana Stanovaya

Commentary

Carnegie Politika

What Should We Take From Andrey Melnichenko’s Essay in the Economist?

Andrey Melnichenko’s essay offers no answer to the fundamental question of how, under any kind of negotiated settlement, Europe can protect itself from the Russian ressentiment that is inevitable in all scenarios except for an outright victory for Putin.

Leonid Bershidsky

Commentary

Carnegie Politika

Moldova’s Ruling Party PAS Must Graduate From Crisis Management to State Governance

Whether PAS can refocus on the unfinished business of state-building may ultimately prove more consequential for Moldova’s European future than the pace of its accession negotiations.

Balázs Jarábik

Commentary

Carnegie Politika

Lukashenko’s Concessions to Kyiv Reflect Russia’s Weakness

The recent damage inflicted by Ukrainian drones and missiles on Russia has made Belarus aware of its own vulnerabilities—and surprisingly amenable to Kyiv’s demands.

Artyom Shraibman