The Turkic World as an Emerging Center of Power in the New World Order
Irada Abdullayeva
Abstract. The article examines the Turkic world as an emerging center of power during the development of a multipolar world order. The topic is relevant because the weakening of the former unipolar system and the return of power concept to international relations bring new non-Western groupings to the forefront, among which the Turkic world remains one of the least studied as an independent unit of the balance of power, rather than as a cultural phenomenon. The article examines the Turkic world not as an ethnic ideology or a cultural community, but as an emerging structural component of the Eurasian balance of power, with Türkiye at its core and Azerbaijan as the key connecting element. Drawing on balance-of-power theory and the classical geopolitical tradition, the study explores the conditions under which an actor acquires the properties of an independent center of power, and shows that combining military might with cultural and diplomatic influence gives the Turkic union the quality of a single political subject. It is argued that, in their aggregate potential, the Turkic states are gradually acquiring the features of an independent pole capable of influencing the distribution of power in Eurasia, while their institutional and military-political consolidation remains incomplete, which defines its emerging status. Special attention is paid to the system-forming role of Türkiye and Azerbaijan, and it is concluded that the Turkic world should be regarded as an independent geopolitical factor reshaping the configuration of forces in Eurasia.
Keywords: Turkic world, center of power, balance of power, new world order, Organization of Turkic States, Türkiye, Azerbaijan