Türkiye

This chapter examines Türkiye’s transformation into an assertive and strategically adaptive middle power, arguing that Ankara has cultivated a sophisticated model of niche diplomacy that converts structural constraints into diplomatic agency. Leveraging its unique geography at the intersection of Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, Türkiye has strategically deployed functional specialization in four interlinked domains – mediation, humanitarian assistance, energy transit, and Islamic-Turkic identity projection – to expand its regional and global influence. This chapter traces the evolution of Turkish foreign policy from earlier “zero-problems” engagement to a more assertive posture centered on strategic autonomy, defense self-sufficiency, and selective partnerships with great powers across Eurasia. It analyzes Türkiye’s institutionalized mediation architecture, its emergence as one of the world’s largest humanitarian donors, its ambition to serve as a Eurasian energy hub, and its deployment of Ottoman, Islamic, and Turkic narratives to cultivate transnational legitimacy. While these niches enhance Türkiye’s visibility and normative entrepreneurship, they remain constrained by economic vulnerabilities, geopolitical balancing dilemmas, and uneven policy outcomes. This chapter concludes that Türkiye exemplifies an ideationally driven, pragmatically executed model of emerging middle-power behavior that seeks to shape regional order from a semi-peripheral vantage point.