Instability in the Region

There is a profound change in regional geopolitics in the Middle East after the Arab Spring. The societal demands for change in Arab countries led to the overthrow of several long-term authoritarian leaders and initially created an optimistic view of the future. However, the situation deteriorated, with state failures, the rise of non-state actors, civil wars, multi-country military involvements in a number of states, the rise of terrorism, and disastrous humanitarian conditions.

The regional turmoil had implications for Turkey in domestic and foreign policy. The new geopolitical (dis)order put Turkey at odds with Syria, Iraq, and Egypt, and created tension with Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The rise of the Islamic State (IS), civil war in Syria, and state failure in Iraq led to the flow of an unprecedented number of people seeking refuge in Turkey. The number of refugees, mainly from Syria and Iraq, reached 2 million in the camps and main cities in Turkey.