A Neoclassical realist analysis of Turkey's foreign policy towards Egypt in the period following the 25 January revolution

Abstract

Until the 25 January Revolution of 2011, T & uuml;rkiye's foreign policy towards Egypt largely followed the same line as that of the Western world, but this changed in the wake of the revolution. The conservative government in T & uuml;rkiye played a decisive role in this shift. In 2012, the Muslim Brotherhood (Ikhwan) rose to power in Egypt. T & uuml;rkiye pursued a different policy from many other actors and established extremely positive relations with the Ikhwan. Following the ousting of the Ikhwan from power, T & uuml;rkiye adopted a highly critical stance towards the new administration and maintained limited diplomatic relations with it for a long period. However, in the 2020s, a return to a more traditional stance in policy towards Egypt was observed. Unlike many other studies, this work analyses the subject within a theoretical framework and argues that the fluctuations in T & uuml;rkiye's foreign policy towards Egypt during this period can only be explained from a neoclassical realist perspective.