In the two years since the Arab Spring, the stability of the Middle East seems to be balanced
between Western European influences, and traditional Islamic authority.
Smack dab in the middle of this power struggle lies Turkey, the quasi-democratic and secular
country with allies on both sides.
So how powerful is Turkey?
Well, Turkey’s influence partially stems from their massive military presence.
Due to mandatory conscription, Turkey boasts the second largest army in the NATO alliance
besides the United States, with 610,000 active military personnel, and the ability to produce
advanced defense technology.Turkey appeals to the West as one of the few secular and
democratic forces in the Middle East, while also maintaining a positive relationship with
neighboring countries because of their 99.8% Sunni Muslim population
Turkey has taken an active role playing peacekeeper between East and West by mediating secret
talks between Israel and Syria, as well as taking an active role in negotiating Iran’s
nuclear proliferation.
However, in recent years the Turkish president has spurned Israel in the Palestinian conflict,
and disowned Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, even going so far as to quietly encourage
ISIS’s role in destabilizing the Syrian government.
Last month, the Turkish Prime Minister was implicated in secretly sending weapons to
al-Qaeda and ISIS in Syria.
As a result, Turkey’s goodwill relationships with both the East and West has started to
look a lot weaker.
Economically, Turkey is booming.
Following the 2008 global financial recession, Turkey has seen faster growth than any European
country, and is one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
Additionally, Turkey is one of the few self-sufficient agricultural countries; however, much of their
energy needs are still imported and they have limited domestic oil reserves.
So what does this all mean for Turkey?
On one hand, the country is in a state of flux with alliances to both Western and Middle
Eastern powers.
On the other hand, Turkey is deeply entangled in that same power struggle, and as evidenced
by their recent difficulty in joining the EU, it’s considered somewhat of a loose
cannon by both sides.
Although Turkey is indeed quite powerful, it relies heavily on its mutually allied status.
Despite the amount of violence so close to home, Turkey is extremely hesitant to join
the war against ISIS.
Want to know why?
Check out our video here.
To see all of our latest videos, click here now!