There has been important international develeopments in 2009 to affect the position of Turkey. These are: 1. The Obama Preseidency, 2.The Continuing Economic Crisis ans 3.The Rise of China.

1. The Obama Presidency: As expected the Obama Administration put diplomacy at the center; the focus was on a multi faceted diplomacy.

The first major indication came in the Summit Meeting between US and Russia on July 6-8 in Moscow. The two Presidents signed a Joint Understanding for a follow - on agreement to START that commits both parties to a legally binding treaty that will reduce US nuclear warheads and delivery systems by at least one third of the current treaty limitations.They also agreed to partiicipate in a joint assesment of the ballistic misssile challlenges of the 21 century,including those posed by Iran an North Korea. The Military Chiefs of the two countries also agreed to a work plan for resuming military-to-military cooperation in areas such as counter-terrorism,search and rescue and counterpiracy.Another tangible result of the Summit was Russia’s agreement to allow the United States to transport its military personnel and equipment across Russia in support of the NATO- led International Security Assistance Force as well as Coaliition Foces in Afghanistan.It was also agreed to strengthen cooperation in non-strategic areas like public health.Finally, a Bilateral Presidential Commission was created. It would be chaired by the two Presidents and led by Secretary Clinton and Foreign Minister Lavrov.It would provide a mechanism for sustaining and expanding on the progress achieved in Moscow.

It is clear that the United States and Russia can work together where their interests coinside. They also want to narrow the differences existing between them. These maybe issues of Human rights or Russias recognation of Georgias separatist regions. President Obama said that "reset" in the bilateral relationship will not come at the expense of friends and allies.

2. The continuing Economic Crisis:

There have been many meetings to look into the global economic crisis and take the necessary measures. They came to the conclusion that both industrial countries and the emerging economies like Turkey would have to meet and together face the challenges that present themselves. Consequently, since the meeting of G-20 in London this format was adopted. That was a major boost to the position of Turkey in the international scene.

The global economic crisis also resulted in the transformation of the international system. Almost all countries in the world had to take strong measures to counter the crisis. It was only China that seemed to be prepared against all contingencies. China already since 1980 had adopted the policy of opening to the outside world. In this way China attracted large amounts of foreign investment and created an economic system whereby it would export to all countries and accumulate very large sums of foreign earnings. So, when the global economic crisis came China was almost ready for it. Chinese authorities took some measures and the country weathered the storm. That is how at the G-20 summit in London in April China took the center stage. The economist magazine would say "Chinese officials assume an increasingly self-confident tone towards the rest of the world." This certainly reflected something new in geopolitics. Major industrialized countries would, from now on, come to terms with the economic giant China.

3. Rise of China

As we have seen at the G-20 Summit, the influence of China was very apparent and some commentators said G-20 was more like G-2. The new look of China was confirmed went President Obama made his first trip to China in November. President Obama held talks with Chinese President and later said the relationship between the two nations goes far beyond any single issue. The two leaders spoke of the growing relationship between the two countries and emphasized cooperation on the economy, climate change, energy, and the nuclear threats of Iran and North Korea. Mr. Obama spoke about the two nations’ joint interests. Mr. Obama said China has helped the United States pull out of the worst recession in a generation. One should remember the fact that China is the No.1 lender to Washington. A day before the summit speaking in Shanghai, President Obama also suggested that China, now a giant in economic impact as well as territory, must assume a larger role on the world stage – part of "burden of leadership" it shares with the United States.

The important international developments of 2009 described in the 3 sections above have certainly affected the position of Turkey. The Obama Presidency makes it possible for Turkey to use its soft power. The economic crisis elevated Turkey into the group of G-20. The rise of China gives the signal that the uni- polar world may ultimately be transformed into a multi-polar world in which Turkey can have more freedom of action in her region.