Since the 11th century A.D., Turkish tribes have been a significant force that has greatly influenced developments in the region of the Near East, and beyond.

Initially as nomadic tribes of mounted warriors, then as the Ottoman Empire (both during its phase of omnipotence when it reached the gates of Vienna, and in the period of weakness and collapse, as the "Sick Man of Europe") and from 1923 as the Republic of Turkey.

During the Cold War, it was an important, yet considered as a "given," ally of the U.S. and the West. After the end of the Cold War, Turkey could no longer play the role of the Western strategic bulwark against the Soviet threat.

However, the war in the Persian Gulf, the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and the upheaval in the Balkans and the Caucasus created a triangle of instability and crises in the region, shaping the conditions for the geopolitical upgrading of Turkey.

Three areas, the Transcaucasia/Central Asia, the Middle East, and the Balkans, constitute the primary areas of activity for Turkish foreign policy both in the present and in the immediate future.

The aim of this study is to present the geostrategic role of Turkey in the Eurasian region and the "Wider Middle East," analyze Turkish national security policy, and assess its geostrategic value.