dr. Adrian FILIP^

Abstract. Two decades after embracing a Neo-Ottoman doctrine, Turkey finds itself isolated from Europe, NATO and a majority of Arab states, while being used as a Trojan horse by Russia. Nowadays Turkey is facing a financial crisis evolved into a chronic one after four years, with 20% of the population under the poverty line and last, but not least, entangled in the Syrian conflict due to Ankara’s mistakes in correctly evaluating the events, false suppositions and exaggerated expectations. Under the circumstances, it is quite probable that NATO will relatively diminish Turkey’s role in its region, keeping it just strong enough to counteract on Russia’s actions, as Europe will be even more restrained as far as a common future with Erdogan’s state is concerned.

Keywords: Geopolitical changes; Turkey, Middle East conflicts; the end of neo-Ottomanism; global balance of forces; geopolitics in pandemic times