Turkey as a Global Actor

Turkey’s increasingly high profile as a global actor also has ramifications for its relations with the EU. While Turkey had been seeking to extend its influence to its larger neighbourhood since the end of the Cold War, it was not until the 2000s that the country experienced a substantive rise in the rigour of its global activities. This chapter first provides an overview of Turkey’s global profile since the end of the Cold War, delving into the domestic and international reasons behind its recent activism. It then outlines Turkey’s evolving relations with the major global player countries and distant regions as well as its activities in the multilateral fora. The chapter concludes with a discussion of European views on Turkey’s global role.