Turkey’s recent diplomatic overtures will help Ankara avoid damaging financial sanctions and punitive measures in the coming year without having to adjust its actual foreign policy actions, earning the Turkish government a much-needed domestic political win during a difficult economic time. In recent weeks, Turkey has been upping its rhetorical charm with the European Union, as well as Arab states where it has acrimonious relationships. Turkey’s fragile financial situation has left President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government unable to reproduce the economic miracle of the early 2000s that cemented his Justice and Development Party (AKP)’s place in power. This has compelled Erdogan to pursue a foreign policy that strikes a line between conciliatory and independent in order to retain his ruling party’s dominant political position in the country before 2023 elections. ...
