1st Edition

Turkey in Eurasia Endeavors and Encounters

Edited By Ayça Ergun, Mustafa Aydın Copyright 2026
228 Pages 5 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

228 Pages 5 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

This book provides an analysis of Turkish foreign policy toward Eurasia in the post-Soviet era. Focusing on the sub-regions of the South Caucasus, Central Asia and Black Sea, it problematizes various relevant issues for individualized analysis of bilateral and multilateral relations. As such, it covers energy politics, geopolitics, security, economic dimension, the role of discourse and ideology,... Read more

Introduction Ayça Ergun and Mustafa Aydın

PART I Regionalization of Turkey’s Foreign Policy in Eurasia

1 Turkey in Eurasia, 1989–2025: A Balance Sheet
Mustafa Aydın

2 ‘Turkish World’ in Turkish Foreign Policy: Reflections on Central Asia and the Caucasus
Pınar Köksal

3 Turkish Foreign Policy in the South Caucasus
Ayça Ergun

4 Imagining Cooperation in a Contested Region: Turkey’s Black Sea Policies
Mustafa Aydın

5 From Geopolitical Competition to Strategic Pragmatism: Turkey and Russia after the Cold War
Evren Balta

6 Turkey–Ukraine Relations: From Amicable Ties to Multidimensional Partnership
Habibe Özdal

PART II Contestations of Turkish Foreign Policy in Eurasia

7 Eurasianism in Turkey: Understanding the Changing Dynamics of a Contested Concept in Turkey
Lerna K. Yanık

8 Turkey’s Energy Geopolitics and Regionalization in Eurasia
Pınar İpek

9 Turkey’s Religion Policy in Eurasia
Zana Çitak

10 Turkey’s Higher Education Initiatives in Eurasia
Yasar Kondakci and Sevgi Kaya- Kasikci

11 Political Economy of Turkey’s Policies in Eurasia
Anar Valiyev, Rusif Huseynov, and Shujaat Ahmadzada

Biography

Ayça Ergun is a Professor of Sociology at Middle East Technical University (METU). She received her Ph.D. from the Department of Government at University of Essex. Her research interests include state–society relations, democratization, nation and state building, civil society in the South Caucasus, Turkish foreign policy in the South Caucasus, regionalism and regional cooperation in the wider Black Sea region, the Azerbaijani–Turkish relations, internationalization, qualitative methodology, fieldwork and social impact assessment. Her articles appeared in Europe-Asia Studies, Nationalities Papers, Third World Quarterly, Work, Employment and Society, Journal of European Integration, Journal of International Relations, Journal of Church and State, Turkish Studies, Journal of Developing Societies, Journal of Royal Asiatic Society, Field Methods and Electoral Studies.

Mustafa Aydın is a Professor of International Relations at Kadir Has University, the President of the International Relations Council of Turkey, and Coordinator of Global Academy. He served as the Rector of Kadir Has University (2010–2018) and was a guest researcher at Michigan, Harvard and Athens universities, as well as at the Richardson Institute for Peace Studies, the EU Institute for Security Studies and the Institut für die Wissenschaften vom Menschen. Among others, he is a member of the European Leadership Network, the Greek-Turkish Forum and the European Academy of Arts and Sciences. His areas of interest include security issues related to Eurasia and the Middle East, as well as Turkish foreign and security policies.