PREFACE

The idea for this book emerged from years of research and engagement with Turkey's evolving foreign policy and the broader transformation of Islamism.My previous book, Turkish Foreign Policy: Islam, Nationalism, and Globalisation, was published in 2011, when the Justice and Development Party (JDP) was still firmly oriented toward European Union (EU) membership and political liberalisation.The Arab Spring had just begun while I was in the final stages of editing, and at the time, Turkey was seen as a source of inspiration for the democratic aspirations of the region.During this period, the JDP, under Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's leadership, promoted an agenda of economic globalisation, democratic reforms.Since then, however, Turkey's domestic governance and foreign policy have undergone profound transformations.The Arab Spring, initially seen as an opportunity for Turkey to expand its regional influence under the banner of 'moderate Islamism', created a sense of optimism within the JDP leadership.The overthrow of longstanding dictatorships in Tunisia, Egypt and Yemen, followed by the rise of democratically inclined Islamist parties, was perceived as a harbinger of a new regional order in which Turkey could assume a leading role.However, the subsequent military coup in Egypt, the prolonged conflicts in Libya and Syria and the growing influence of external powers exposed the limits of ideological foreign policy, forcing Turkey to adopt a more securitised and interventionist approach.