Turkish Foreign Policy in the Chaos of War, 1939-1945

Abstract

The World War II marked an important watershed for Turkey's foreign policy. It caught Turkey in the middle of a nation and state-building processes as well as still recovering from the damages of the previous war. Thus when the war started, its main concern was to survive it without damage to its territorial integrity. To ensure this, Turkey signed non-aggression agreements with all the major powers and tried to steer a course between the clashing interests of belligerents. Its main strategy was geared towards staying out of the war as long as possible as it did not have the means to ensure its security. While the Italian threat appeared paramount early in the war, this was neutralized by maintaining friendly relations with Germany, which was balanced by developing closer relations with Britain. But the main source of apprehension to Turkey during the war was the Soviet Union, which remained as the defining feature of its foreign policy after the war, and motivated the Turkish leaders to secure Allied guarantees that would ensure its safety at the end of the war.