Arab-Turkish Cooperation in the New Era

Abstract: After decades of ups and downs in relations between Turkey and the Arab world the Development and Justice Party that differed ideologically from other political parties brought a new vision for the future of relations with the Arab and Islamic world. Based on the geographical, historical and cultural depth of Turkey the new leadership pursued a 'multidimensional' policy that allowed a new opening to the Arab world. The key for the success of this approach was the 'impartiality' of Ankara vis-a-vis the conflicts between the Arab states in addition to Turkey’s abstention from engaging in the 'game of axes' in the region. This paper does not only explain the nature of the existing potentials to develop cooperation between Turkey and the Arab states, but it also offers a number of practical and specific suggestions.