Turkish Foreign Policy

The end of World War II., was the beginning of a new era for the world politics, since the world converted to a bipolar system, which called the Cold War. The world especially the Europe divided into two blocs between the victorious states of the II. World War, mainly the United States and the Soviet Union. During the following fifty years, the foreign policies of states mostly aligned to their bloc's policies. In this sense, Turkey had an important role and position for both US and the Soviet Union. Turkey was one of the several countries that stayed out of the war and the German invasion in Europe, so that was not a country that saved by US or Soviet troops. Because of this, in the aftermath of the war, the side of Turkey was uncertain. As a reaction to the Soviet threads over Turkey and the fear of expansionists policies of Soviets, Turkey close to the Western Bloc. The Truman Doctrine (1947) defining the new era and also included Turkey, to the exhausted states of Europe by giving the word of financial and military support.

As an alignment to the democracy definition of United States, Turkey ended the one party political system in 1946 and the Democrat Party established by the old members of the CHP. The new party won the second elections that they attend with a majority in 1950 and the ten year long Democrat Party era began. This era is important because of the period that Democrat Party ruled the country was the first and most intense years of the Cold War, which the influence area of United States and Soviet Union determined. Under the Democrat Party governments, the foreign policy agenda of Turkey had important articles such as the Korean War, Turkish accession to the NATO, Cyprus, the Balkans and the Middle East issues.

The accession to the NATO was the primary aim of Democrat Party and Turkey, in the beginning of 1950's. The shock of Soviet demands on Kars, Ardahan and the straits were still alive and following the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan, Turkey planned to strengthen the relations with United States. The loneliness in the world politics can only be eliminated by entering to the security zone of US and so NATO. The accession to the NATO would surely secure the borders of Turkey and the modernization of the army would be established. The efforts to enter NATO began during CHP governments in 1948, but it did not succeed. The following negotiations would continue with the new Democrat Party government after 1950.

The Korean War would be a great opportunity for Turkey to prove it's loyalty to the Western Bloc and include to the NATO. At the end of the World War II., the Korea had divided into two as north and south on 38th parallel by an agreement between Soviets and US. A socialist state in the north and a capitalist state in the south established. In 25th of June 1950, the North Korean planes bombed several towns of Seoul of South Korea. Two days after the attack, US president Henry Truman sent American Air Forces to defend South Korea but they were late. The capital Seoul had been occupied by North Korean forces.

Only five days after the invasion the United States Secretary Lie sent message to the member state's governments as a call for help for South Korea. The Minister of Foreign Affairs Fuad KÐ"¶prÐ"јlÐ"ј carried this issue to the parliament as the representative of the Democrat Party government. The Prime Minister Adnan Menderes was the most powerful supporter of Turkey's attendance to the war. In a private meeting with KÐ"¶prÐ"јlÐ"ј he had stated that this war is a great opportunity for Turkey to increase