Turkey’s increasing visibility in the international affairs receives credits and criticisms from different groups within and outside the country. During the last few years, Turkey strengthened its economy and curbed the aspirations of its military to interfere in domestic politics, while expanding the realm of individual freedoms and democracy. Although it has multi dimensional aspect, Turkey’s increasing visibility in international affairs has been perceived by its critics mostly within the framework of Islamism of the JDP government and its reflection in government choices of foreign policy priorities. Daring statements of the Turkish Prime minister, establishing closer ties with its neighbors and Muslim states, taking a side with Palestinians, Turkey’s no vote for the sanctions against Iran in the United Nations Security Council are all criticized from the perspective of whether Turkey’s axis is shifting, that is from its strongly anchored position in the Western system to the East, or to be more precise, to becoming more Islam oriented. This paper argues that Turkey’s strongly anchored position in the Western alliance system and its struggle towards becoming a better democracy strengthen Turkey’s hand when dealing with the Middle Eastern and other Muslim countries. Conversely Turkey’s newly developed close relations with its neighbors and the Muslim world give Turkey an advantageous position when dealing with the Western world i.e. the EU and the US in particular. While remaining Muslim, Turkey’s membership in NATO, its strong democratic institutions and being a negotiator with the EU for a full membership boost Turkey’s position and become instruments of soft power when speaking of or for democracy in the Middle East. Turkey also uses its high profile in the Middle East when negotiating major security issues with the Western world. Although the “Arab Spring” shook the grounds of Turkey’s earlier approaches towards the autocratic regimes in the region, Turkish authorities tried to observe a fine line in maintaining a pro-democratic foreign policy line. Turkey’s sometimes seemingly conflicting positions towards the most recent series of turmoil in the Middle East from Tunisia to Egypt and Syria are examined from within the perspective of potential model for the region. Official statements and foreign policy making processes are analyzed in order to illustrate whether Turkey’s “zero conflict” policy with its neighbors was challenged in the process, and if so, why.