The Interlinking of Turkey’s Domestic and Foreign Policy in the AKP’s Third Term

In the wake of the AKP’s victory and the resignation of Turkey’s top military commanders six weeks later, there was no longer any doubt who had exclusive control over foreign policy. Turkey then had to prove it was able to transcend its long tradition of 'democracy without democrats' both internally and externally. The AKP government had won a mandate in its third term to write a new social contract and be a true inspiration for its region. Having spent the last two terms demanding a global role for Turkey, the AKP then had its wish in the 'Arab Spring,' but had to deliver if it wanted to be seen a credible mediator rather than simply a rhetorically bombastic and ineffective regional power. Without a harmonic and symbiotic voice, Turkey risked losing the influence it had carefully cultivated over the last decade. Managing the interdependency between a democratizing and fractious domestic political scene with an ambitious foreign policy vision in Ankara for the AKP would be of critical importance.