Introduction

This chapter demonstrates the change and, building on the argument that one society can have more than one security culture, it shows how differing cultures and worldviews cohabit. It analyses traditional foreign policy and looks at the post-Cold War period, and argues that Turkish foreign policy since the early days of the Republic has shown elements of continuity which can be considered as its basic principles. Turkish foreign policy remained security-oriented until the late 1990s. The systemic changes brought about by the end of the Cold War did not translate simultaneously into a decrease of threat perceptions in Turkey. The transition from Ottoman Empire to Turkish Republic especially the collapse of the Empire plus wartime developments and the War of Independence left their mark on the foreign policy of Turkey. The geopolitical position of the country and its demography enriches the diversity of policy tools and the capabilities available to the Adalet ve Kalknma Partisi (AKP) foreign policy.