21 April 2011
The AKP model exercised indisputable power, to a great extent thanks also to the current government’s choices in foreign policy. In recent years, Turkey has added to the benchmarks that, at the end of the Second World War, formed its international policies – Atlanticism, westernisation, a European perspective and relations with Israel (Ankara is one of the few Islamic capitals that has recognised the Jewish state) – great dynamism in the Middle East, North African and the Balkans; the so-called “Ottoman sphere.” This has increased Turkey’s international prestige, strengthened its capacity to act as a cohesive force between west and east, raised the level of respect the country enjoys in the Arab world and its role as a negotiator.