ABSTRACT
Turkey, situated in the hub of three of the most volatile regions (the Middle East, the Balkans, the post-Soviet space) was immediately influenced by recent global political transformations, which precipitated new ethnic nationalist and religious (pious Sunni) demands. Under their influence, the country has both become more polarized and drifted further to a more conservative, nationalist mentality. Previous foreign policy orientations and alliance relations were increasingly questioned. Many Turkish voters embraced anti-American, anti-European, and anti-NATO discourses. This chapter sets out to chart the role that domestic public opinion and political developments played in the evolution of foreign policy and the re-making of Turkey's foreign relations. It will use available survey data and multivariate analysis to explore how public opinion has evolved on Turkey's ties with the EU, US, and Middle Eastern neighbors and evaluate the effect that the public plays in the general contours of its foreign policy.
