OLD PRINCIPLES, NEW PRACTICES EXPLAINING THE AKP FOREIGN POLICY

Since the Justice and Development Party (AKP) assumed office in November 2002, its quite unprecedented foreign policy practices, both in substance and in style, have incited a general debate over the proper explication of the defining characteristics of this 'new 'foreign policy, and especially its sources. This article argues that, first, the essential parameter of the AKP foreign policy is the peculiar foreign policy conception of the AKP policymakers. Second, the AKP foreign policy is a synthetic practice of traditional politics with non-traditional means. This new policy heralds a return to the traditional balance of power politics with substantial emphasis on non-traditional aspects offoreign policy.