Between Russia and the West

Turkey as an Emerging Power and the Case of Abkhazia

Turkey’s foreign policy finds itself in transition. The author argues, that Turkish foreign policy should encompass a more pro-active, independent, and regional strategy. South Caucasian issues in general and Abkhazia in particular may be essential bargaining chips for Turkey to substantially improve its stance from the Black to the Caspian Seas, assuming its new-found “emancipation” from U.S. influence and thus becoming a real regional power in the region. If all these challenges are met successfully, then Turkey will move to the gravity center of an EU-Russia-Iran triangle, where it will occupy a pivotal and geostrategic position.

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