Turkey's Cold War ─ Foreign Policy and Western Alignment in the Modern Republic

Since the end of the Ottoman Empire, Turkey has repeatedly attempted to assert its position as a central strategic nation in the formation of world geo-politics. Turkey's Cold War shows for the first time how the country's modern foreign policy, in particular during the Cold War, has been shaped by an aspiration to become part of the Western world. Drawing on a variety of sources, ranging from interviews with key figures to unpublished archival material, Saban Halis Çalis traces this ambition back to the 1930s. In doing so, he demonstrates that Turkey's policy has been shaped not just by US and Soviet positions, but also by its own desire both to reinforce its Kemalist character and to 'Westernise'. The Cold War, therefore, can be seen as an opportunity for Turkey to realise its long-held goal and align itself economically and politically with the West. This book will shed new light on the Cold War and Turkey's modern diplomacy, and re-orientate existing understandings of modern Turkish identity and its diplomatic history.

Saban Halis Calis is Professor of International Relations at Selcuk University, Turkey. He received his PhD from the University of Nottingham and was vice-president of the Turkish Higher Education Council between 2011 and 2015. In addition to many papers, essays and articles in Turkish and English, he is also the author of numerous books in Turkish. He frequently appears on television and radio as a commentator, and writes occasionally for daily newspapers.