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Will AKP victory change Turkey's foreign policy?

If the new Turkish government fails to take advantage of its electoral mandate to make necessary revisions in foreign policy, events on the ground might force its hand anyway.
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The Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) Nov. 1 landslide electoral victory stunned secular and liberal Turks, not to mention international observers. Even AKP officials admit they were not expecting such a turnout after losing their parliamentary majority in the June elections. One of the questions now being asked is what the victory, and the manner in which it reinforces President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s position, will mean for Turkey’s foreign policy at such a critical moment in the Middle East, especially in regard to Syria.

Initial assessments by some Turkish analysts and international observers are not positive. They believe the AKP has little reason to change its policies after obtaining a strong mandate from the public. Others, however, think the mandate will provide Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's government room to maneuver, enabling it to act more pragmatically on issues like Syria and ties with Egypt.

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