Abstract
This chapter aims to test the claim of ‘Turkey as a great power’ by analysing relations with East Asia. It first provides a historical overview of relations with this rising and dynamic region to identify the underlying patterns that have determined Turkey’s policies. Following an analysis of relations with Japan, South Korea and China—which are the countries that have become significant in different periods of Turkish history, and that exemplify periods of self-awareness and international role searching—Turkey’s global strategy in the early twenty-first century is studied. Finally, it is argued that even though Turkey’s profile, interest and activism in East Asia have been increasing, this is still not sufficient to sustain claims of a great power status.
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Notes
- 1.
In the domestic and international discussions about Turkey’s international status, the terms ‘great power’, ‘world power’ and ‘global power’ seem to be used interchangeably.
- 2.
The author thanks Professor Birgül Demirtaş for translating the article.
- 3.
- 4.
The ship’s grounds were considered as part of the free Muslim land, in which Friday prayers were religious obligations only for ‘free’ Muslims.
- 5.
This incident is still romanticised considerably. For instance, in 2015, it was made into a movie, co-produced by Turkey and Japan, which received overall positive critiques. Nevertheless, the movie avoids the underlying politics of the trip and the sorry state of the unfortunate Ertuğrul Frigate.
- 6.
The phrase ‘romanticism’ defining Japan-Turkey relations is coined by Selçuk Esenbel (in Esenbel and Ciharu 2003, p. 37).
- 7.
This event—which was narrated in in an episode of the popular Japanese documentary series Project X—is known better in Japan than in Turkey.
- 8.
For a detailed analysis of Modern Turkey-Japan relations, see Pehlivanturk (2011).
- 9.
This view has been expressed by active diplomats in Japanese and Turkish ministries of foreign affairs; various embassy personnel in Ankara and Tokyo; retired diplomats; members of Japanese Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office (Naikaku Jouhou Chousashitsu, an agency of the cabinet secretariat and abbreviated as Naicho); and retired, as well as active military officers from both countries, in interviews conducted between 2007 and 2015.
- 10.
In a 2015 communiqué of the Office Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, the establishment of the office was mentioned in the text and people involved in its first meeting were announced. It was also mentioned that 2015 is the 90th year of the establishment of diplomatic relations, and 125th year of Ertuğrul’s voyage and the G-20 summit to be held in Turkey. It is also mentioned that levelling up the relations with Turkey should be made by joint efforts of ‘public-private all Japan’ (JMFA 2015).
- 11.
In these interviews, which were conducted in 2015, Japanese diplomats expressed that Japanese companies usually follow the directions of the government, hence, a surge in Japanese investment should be expected. However, in later interviews it was also expressed that the bombings in Ankara and the deteriorating security environment in Turkey’s neighbourhood may be expected to hamper this development.
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Pehlivantürk, B. (2017). East Asia in Turkish Foreign Policy: Turkey as a ‘Global Power’?. In: Gözen Ercan, P. (eds) Turkish Foreign Policy. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-50451-3_13
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