Turkey, Its Neighbors and the West - Robert Bosch Stiftung

Degree of Openness of the Turkish Economy
1970 to 2008 as a Percentage of GDP
Turkey 1970 1980 1990 2000 2008
Exports of goods and services (% of GDP) 4.4 5.2 13.4 20.1 23.6
Imports of goods and services (% of GDP) 6.4 11.9 17.6 23.1 28.7
Degree of Openness (Exports plus Imports in % of GDP)
Turkey 10.8 17.1 31.0 43.2 52.3
Euro Area 40.3 52.8 54.7 72.9 80.1
Low Income Countries 44.3 57.3 79.8 44.3
Middle Income Countries 19.7 32.5 39.3 52.8 59.7
Source: World Bank, Quick Query Data Source. (http://ddp-ext.worldbank.org/ext/DDPQQ/member.do?method=getMembers&userid=1&queryId=135)
effort, the aKp has argued that Turkey is the natural heir to
the ottoman empire that once unified the Muslim world, and
therefore has the potential to become a transregional power
to unify and lead the Muslim world once again. accordingly,
Turkey is not simply an “ordinary nation-state” that emerged
out of various circumstances or the designs of foreign powers.
rather, Turkey is a regional power in its own right, having
strong traditions of statehood and broad strategic outreach.
The aKp’s reading of Turkey’s history and identity differs
markedly from the traditional narrative that sought to sever all
ties with the pre-republican past. In fact, the aKp champions
a deliberate revival of the ottoman past both as a matter of
cultural enrichment and as a source of a more diverse Turkish
identity. In this view, it follows that Turkey should strive to
take on a greater role in its former ottoman territories (see
Map 5) and neighbors should welcome Turkey’s “return”
and willingness to take on greater responsibility for regional
stability.
Given their imperial history, Turks can be particularly
nationalistic and prickly when dealt with on less-than equal
footing. other countries’ using Turkey as a means to an end
can lead to diplomatic failures; for example, u.s. attempts
to “buy” Turkey’s support for its operations against Iraq, or
the eu maneuvering to offer Turkey anything less than full
membership. having ruled for the better part of six centuries
as the ottoman empire, Turkey as a post-imperial successor
state has now come to demand a certain level of respect in
its international dealings.
The Turkish Economy
C H A P T E R
t a b l e4
The changes in political culture, historical memory and
identity in Turkey have been mirrored by changes and growth
in its economy as well.
The last decade has seen dynamic growth in the Turkish
economy, which has expanded by an average of 5.9 percent
annually between 2000 and 2008. 26 While this is less than
the excellent performance of the brIC countries, it is much
more pronounced than the increases in the asian, european
or latin american “tiger” states. The main Turkish constraint
on growth is the relatively slow capital accumulation process.
and like most economies, Turkey has been hit by the 2008-
09 economic crisis, which caused its growth rate to plummet
by almost 6 percent in 2009, and to climb only about half
way back in 2010. 27
Turkey’s economic growth has been the result of the country’s
shift to an open market economy (despite the persistence of
a large share of government-owned enterprises). In 1970, the
openness indicator for Turkey (defined as the sum of imports
and exports of all goods and services divided by GDp) was
about 10 percent. over the last 20 years, this indicator has
risen to more than 50 percent, although compared to other
countries with a similar level of development, it is still modest
(see Table 4).
The opening of the Turkish economy and its rapid growth
has fostered equally rapid social and political change. When
Turkey operated as a closed-import, substitution oriented
4
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