When Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) took power at the beginning of the century, the principle that got hold of the country’s foreign policy was called ‘ zero problems towards neighbors’ . It received praise domestically as well as abroad. Fast forward nearly two decades and there nearly isn’t a conflict in Turkey’s near abroad where the aspiring regional power is not involved. The fundamentals of Ankara’s clashes were years in the making before a trigger unleashed the current tensions. Turkey risked missing out on the energy bonanza in the Eastern Mediterranean which a ‘sea-grab’ maneuver should have prevented. Instead, it created a chain of conflicts and an increasingly hostile environment for Turkish interests. Besides the trigger, the reasons behind the animosity are historical and political. Greece’s hostility is based on Turkey’s imperial past and the illegal invasion of Cyprus that has split the island until this […]