UNDERSTANDING MIDDLE POWERS’ REGIONAL INITIATIVES A COMPARISON OF TÜRKIYE’S ASIA ANEW AND THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA’S NEW NORTHERN POLICY

Abstract

This thesis examines how structurally similar two middle powers: Türkiye and South Korea came with distinct regional initiatives under the same international conditions. Since the end of the Cold War, changing global structure created greater room for autonomy and heightened uncertainty. Middle powers became more active in the fields of global governance, norms and regional projects. Yet the concept of middle power still remains ambiguous allowing governments and other actors to set in terms of identity, history, domestic debates and capabilities for regional/global roles. Türkiye and South Korea are representative cases: both are located within great powers—geographically and ideologically, historically depended on the United States for security and sought greater autonomy in the post Cold War era. Despite similar backgrounds, the initiatives they produced took different forms. Türkiye’s Asia Anew Initiative launched in 2019 reflected their civilisational identity, strategic depth and Eurasian positioning; while South Korea’s New Northern Policy announced in 2017 grew from constrained autonomy, a new cabinet after impeachment, economic diversification and middle power diplomacy. The thesis asks why two middle powers developed region-specific initiatives at similar times but through different conceptualisations, tools and domestic pathways. The study argues that structural incentives alone cannot explain the variation. Middle powers do not automatically update their policies when conditions change; windows of opportunity must meet domestic actors who would diagnose problems, propose alternatives and mobilise resources. Using a four cue framework distinguishing idea and policy entrepreneurship, the thesis shows how identity framing, institutional channels, and interpretations of constraints produced different outcomes. The findings contribute to understanding how entrepreneurial agency interacts with domestic structures in shaping regional policies and what this suggests for the study of middle powers and regional cooperation.