Joshua W. Walker and Juliette Tolay-What does Turkey mean to the West now?

he recent activism and assertiveness of Turkish foreign policy has caused political waves throughout Europe, the United States, and in Turkey's immediate neighborhood, particularly after the Flotilla incident with Israel and the UN Security Council vote on Iran sanctions. Turkey is now a more autonomous actor pursuing greater regional and global influence. For the Transatlantic community this could make it either a valuable asset or an uncertain partner. Most prominently in the West, there are fears that Turkey is being "lost" and that it is becoming more oriented toward Russia or the Middle East, and that it is drifting away from secularism and toward Islamism at home. Given the critical importance of Turkey politically and its strategic position geographically, it is important for Europe and the US to understand Ankara's aims and actions on their own terms especially with respect to its immediate neighborhood. This presentation, based on a report on Turkish foreign policy"Getting to Zero: Turkey, its Neighbors, and the West,"focuses on key parts of that neighborhood, i.e., the Middle East and the Black Sea and key policy areas, such as economy, energy, democracy promotion and migration.