Mesut Özcan - "Turkey's Policy towards the Middle East and North Africa after the Arab Spring" The ninth edition of the Turkey Policy Brief Series is authored by Mesut Özcan, the Deputy Chairman of the Center for Strategic Research (SAM) at the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"Beginning at the end of 2010, the transformation of the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) has replaced the erstwhile political structures which were remnants of the Cold War era, with more representative administrations. The process of transformation, in many respects, is similar to the developments in Eastern Europe during the early-1990s, and has forced both regional and global actors to reorganize policies. Moreover, the ongoing instability continues to impact Turkey’s foreign policy in fundamental ways. In particular, the ongoing crisis in Syria has triggered a close and detailed reexamination of Turkey’s MENA policy..."