The role of Turkey's energy security in calculations of foreign policy: Iraq and Iran

Official URL: http://risc01.sabanciuniv.edu/record=b1606875 (Table of Contents)

Energy imports have become the Achilles heel of the Turkish economy. This thesis seeks to show that in the current political and economic context, solving the high cost of energy imports is a dominate and persistent factor in Turkish strategy. How and if Turkey resolves its high energy import costs, will dramatically impact the country's future. This is particularly the case in the event that foreign currencies coming into the Turkish economy from abroad exit the Turkish economy for investments elsewhere. Additionally, this paper hopes to examine Turkish foreign policy in light of energy policy, to reveal the close connection between the two. Turkey's role in the existing conflict and competition between the United States and the Russian Federation over energy supply to Europe is well understood and frequently discussed, but Turkey's strategic relationship to the United States and its impact on both foreign policy and energy importation as regards Turkey's Middle Eastern neighbors is a topic which deserves further inquiry. In particular, Turkey's policy towards Iran and Iraq is deeply influenced by discussions of Turkey's own energy security. Recent events reveal the growing importance of these relationships and the complexity of Turkey's foreign policy gamble.