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Abstract
This paper seeks to explain the nature of Turkey's foreign policy towards the Middle East, before and after the Arab Spring. Since the first term in office the region of the Middle East was crucial for the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Recep Tayip Erdogan, whose government started to implement Ahmet Davutoglu's "strategic depth" conception. Answering the question if the current foreign policy of the AKP is an expression of simple political pragmatism - a major feature of Turkey's foreign policy since Atatürk - or rather a strengthening of regional power ambitions, remains the main purpose of this article.
Introduction
The Middle East is the region traditionally incorporated into the scope of interest of the Republic of Turkey. It is largely the result of its political, cultural and economic presence in the region lasting several centuries. This presence emerged from the international ancestor of the modern Republic of Turkey, i.e. the Ottoman Empire founded in circa 1300, when one of the Turkish leaders named Osman defeated his neighbours and transformed the little principality in the Marmara Sea region into a consistent state that took its name after this conquering ruler. As the newly established state ruled by Osman was becoming more powerful, it started to be called the Ottoman Empire and began rapid expansion, starting from conquering several small and weak states in Anatolia and then focusing on such regions like the Balkans or the Middle East. After seizing Constantinople in 1453, the Ottoman Empire launched extensive conquests, mostly in the years from 1520 to 1566, when ruled by the sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. A bit earlier, in 1517, Ottoman Turks defeated Egyptian Mamluks and conquered the territories of Syria and Egypt. In 1534 they took control over the lands of Iraq. The further expansion, being the most extensive in the 16lh century, resulted in the Empire becoming a dominant power in the Middle East, taking control over territories of Northern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.
In general, the might and influence of the Empire started to diminish since the late 18th century, when the military dominance of such powerful states like Great Britain, France, Russia or Prussia became significant. The efforts to save the country from inside, focusing on an implementation...