ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the key concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. Turkey aimed to become a "security provider" in its larger neighborhood so as to create a zone of "democratic peace" encompassing the Islamic world in general and out into the Eurasian region, in particular as a catalyst for expanding the European Union's (EU)"multi-cultural security community" at the beginning of the twenty-first century. However, in parallel with the drastic changes in the international system, its unique location, its Ottoman heritage and its successful blend of Islam and democracy became influential in the rise of Turkey and gave it enormous strategic potential. In parallel with the changing style and substance of its foreign policy, beginning with 2001, Turkey, with the powerful incentive of the prospect of European Union membership, realized many reforms in domestic politics, such as lifting the ban on Kurdish language broadcasts, and increasing civilian representation on the National Security Council.
