Soğuk Savaş Dönemi ABD’nin Ortadoğu Politikaları Kapsamında Türkiye’nin Rolü ve Bölgesel Güç Rekabeti

In the atmosphere that developed after the Second World War, the world was divided into two poles and a power struggle began between the two superpowers. Although it is not clear among historians which event started the Cold War, it is generally accepted that it started with the Truman Doctrine. After the Truman Doctrine, the US was tasked with financially supporting both Europe and the states that opposed the USSR and its ideology. Turkey, on the other hand, experienced an intense fear of the Soviet Union during this process, which forced Turkey to become a member of the Western alliance. In the process that started with the Truman Doctrine, Turkey was financially supported and became one of the most important partners in the policy of containment of the USSR. With the onset of the Cold War, the countries of the Middle East were also greatly affected by the process. The Western leg of the regional rivalry in this region was met by Turkey. Turkey, which acted completely pro-Western in the region until the 1960s, became the most important ally of the United States. Turkey became more influential in the Middle East, especially after the Eisenhower Doctrine. Throughout this process, Turkey lost the trust of the Arab states, even though it was an important ally of the West, and this situation largely broke its potential to dominate the region in the future. The activities of the Middle Eastern states, especially Egypt and Syria, increased the USSR's power in the region. The aim of this article is to analyze the Middle East leg of the power competition that started with the Cold War. In this process, Turkey's influence and policies in the region will be analyzed and it will be seen how the power competition in the region was shaped within the scope of the US policies in the Middle East. The scope of this article will particularly focus on the two most important doctrines of the Cold War, namely the Truman Doctrine and the Eisenhower Doctrine. In this context, the causes and consequences of Turkey's policies in the region will also be analyzed.