The New Turkish Presence in North Africa: Ambitions and Challenges

Turkey and North Africa have been linked for centuries by political and cultural ties. But since
the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the establishment of the Turkish Republic in 1923,
Turkey had isolated itself from its traditional spheres of influence, including North Africa. After
the end of World War II, Turkey sought to strengthen its relations with the West and refrained
from paying attention to Arab issues. With the rise of the Justice and Development Party (AKP)
to power in 2002, under the leadership of Recep T. Erdogan, Turkey has gradually become
more interested in North Africa again.
In the post-2011 Arab uprisings, Turkey's foreign policy towards North Africa has seen a
massive turning point. This period witnessed a growing influence of Islamist political
movements, which might be potential allies of Turkey in the region. Turkey has sought to
strengthen its influence through economic, political, and cultural means, and recently by
military presence. However, there are many obstacles and challenges to Turkey's quest to
revive its historical influence in the region.
In this new Turkish strategy, North Africa is considered as a goal and a means at the same
time: it is a target for Turkish trade and investment, as the region represents a huge market
with about 200 million consumers, and a source for potential strategic alliances. It is also a
gateway to sub-Saharan Africa. President Erdogan announced during his official visit to Algeria
on January 26, 2020, that Turkey is seeking to increase the trade volume with Africa in the near
future to 50 billion dollars, which reached 26 billion dollars in 2020.2
Turkey initially relies on two basic mechanisms to return to the region: First, the economic
factor (trade and investment), in which the private sector is playing an important role. Second,
tools of soft power (soap operas, films, channels, cultural and educational exchanges, and
attraction of foreign students...), by employing cultural, religious and historical ties to improve
its image and present itself as a model for the Islamic world.