Turkey marketed itself as a secular Muslim counter-model to Iran and Russia

Evidence

In explicitly defining Turkey as a secular society, however, Ataturk prevented the Turkish republic from succeeding the Ottoman empire in that role. Turkey could not even become a charter member of the OIC because of the commitment to secularism in its constitution. So long as Turkey continues to define itself as a secular state, leadership of Islam is denied it. — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 485 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Turkish leaders tried to expand their military connection with Israel, which provoked intense criticism from Turkish Islamists. More significantly, during the 1980s Turkey expanded its relations with Arab and other Muslim countries and in the 1990s actively promoted Islamic interests by providing significant support to the Bosnian Muslims as well as to Azerbaijan. With respect to the Balkans, Central Asia, or the Middle East, Turkish foreign policy was becoming increasingly Islamicized. — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 403 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Turkey pivoted toward Central Asia using cultural identity as an economic lever; Turkey’s Central Asia pivot aimed to counter Iranian and Saudi influence — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 398; Russia intends a sphere where Orthodox core dominates Muslim buffer states (+8 more)

Broader Connections

• Turkey could reposition itself as leader of the Islamic world by abandoning Western secularism #complicates (0.82)
• Constitutional secularism barred Turkey from leading the Islamic world #complicates (0.80) — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 485
• Turkey’s foreign policy across three regions became increasingly Islamicized #complicates (0.78) — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 403
• Turkish secularism was maintained by military intervention against repeated Islamist challenges. #complicates (0.77)
• Secular Turkey’s government heavily funded Islamic religious institutions to co-opt Islamists. #complicates (0.76) — Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the…, 401