Ahmet Davutoglu was once one of Turkey’s most influential figures. The academic helped shape the country’s ambitious foreign policy at the start of the century, served as foreign minister and prime minister, and was chosen to lead President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party. Later, however, he became a critic of the very political system he had helped build.
Davutoglu has recently announced his withdrawal from politics, saying his opposition Future Party is shutting down its political activities. He described it not as a surrender but as a decision to keep himself away from the country’s “polluted political environment”.
Davutoglu was once a close associate of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Through his “strategic depth” doctrine, he brought a new outlook to Turkish foreign policy and sought to establish the country as a regional diplomatic power.
He became foreign minister in 2009 and prime minister in 2014. During his tenure, Turkey’s diplomatic presence in Africa and the Middle East grew through the “zero problems with neighbours” policy.
But his foreign policy came under challenge amid the changing situation in the Middle East, including the war in Syria. In 2016, he resigned as prime minister over differences with Erdogan on power and policy. He later formed the Future Party in 2019, but the party failed to gain significant public support.
According to analysts, the party did not succeed because of the limits of opposition politics and its failure to build an independent organisational base. In the 2023 election, the party contested on the symbol of the main opposition CHP and entered parliament, but this further weakened its own political identity.
Although he failed in politics, analysts believe Davutoglu’s intellectual contribution and foreign-policy philosophy will remain in discussion for a long time. In their view, while his chances of a political comeback are slim as long as Erdogan remains in power, the influence he has left on Turkish politics and diplomacy will continue to be discussed in the future.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report