GEOPOLITICS OF THE TURKIC WORLD

Abstract

The geopolitical importance of the Turkic world has grown significantly in recent years due to its strategic location, abundant natural resources, cultural influence, and its role as a bridge between major global powers. The Turkic world spans Central Asia, the Caucasus, and parts of Eastern Europe and the Middle East, sitting at the crossroads of major continents (Asia, Europe, and the Middle East). This region acts as a critical land bridge for trade, energy, and transportation corridors like the Middle Corridor and China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), connecting East Asia to Europe through Central Asia and Türkiye. The Caspian Sea is a critical hub for energy exports, with pipelines like the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) and Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline Project (TANAP) ensuring energy transit from the region to Europe. The Turkic world shares deep linguistic, cultural, and historical ties, fostering a sense of unity that can translate into coordinated political and economic initiatives. Organizations like the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) are enhancing cooperation in trade, security, and culture, creating a platform for regional influence. In this context, the book titled “The Geopolitics of the Turkic World”, edited by Karaman and published in December 2023, seeks to establish its place in the literature by addressing significant developments and topics in the Turkic world. The book aims to analyse key issues such as Turkmenistan’s neutrality policy, the OTS, the Karabakh issue, Kyrgyzstan’s water problem, and similar critical topics in the countries of the Turkic world. The book consists of four sections—Turkic World, Geopolitics, Central Asia, and Caucasus—and includes 17 chapters