Turkish–Azerbaijani Energy Cooperation and Nabucco: Testing the Limits of the New Turkish Foreign Policy Rhetoric

This article examines the prospects of the Turkish government's rhetoric of following zero‐problems with neighbors and pursuing ‘positive‐sum’ strategies to foster regional cooperation. Through a detailed examination of the Turkish–Azerbaijani energy cooperation in the context of the Nabucco natural gas pipeline, the article concludes that this policy is unsustainable and Turkey will come under pressure to set a more realistic foreign policy agenda that prioritizes among the country's strategic relationships. Moreover, although many believe that Turkey's overtures to Armenia lie at the heart of the troubles in Turkish–Azerbaijani energy talks, this article suggests that the real causes are the diverging interests between the two countries due to the underlying incompatibilities of their energy policies, breeding a ‘negative‐sum’ game.