*Originally published in 2025 and preserved as part of our archive project.Get E-International Relations delivered directly to your inbox, free of charge. As you sign up, consider becoming a paid subscriber to support our work.

When Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fell in late 2024 analysts quickly revived old tropes about Turkish Neo-Ottomanism. But these labels do not reflect reality: Turkey is not pursuing the restoration of a Neo-Ottoman Empire, it is acting on strategic interests. While President Erdoğan frequently employs rhetoric that frames Turkey as a protector of innocent people, particularly Muslims, foreign policy analysis must move beyond rhetoric and focus on actual drivers. It is not ideals that shape Turkey’s behavior, but Realpolitik.

The concept of Neo-Ottomanism gained prominence internationally through the writings of former Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, particularly his book Strategic Depth. While Davutoğlu advocated for a more value-driven foreign policy and greater regional engagement, the term “Neo-Ottomanism” was applied more often by outside observers than by Turkish policymakers themselves. In Western discourse, the term has increasingly been used to describe virtually any Turkish policy that appears to contradict Western norms or interests—especially in the past decade. Yet in Turkey, the term is rarely applied to current foreign policy. This reflects one of the core analytical challenges: there is no clear, shared definition of what Neo-Ottomanism actually means.

Some analysts argue that Turkey is consciously seeking to become a modern-day Ottoman power. Others invoke the term loosely and polemically, using it to describe Turkish actions they perceive as assertive or revisionist. This ambiguity has clouded objective analysis. A useful case in point is Syria. After the fall of the Assad regime, many commentators overestimated Turkey’s ambitions and role in the country’s final battles. Although Ankara and the HTS acknowledged limited communication ahead of the Aleppo........

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