Turkey and its predecessor state, the Ottoman empire, have been at the centre of international relations for centuries. By the late 18th century, what had once been the dominant power in the eastern Mediterranean and south-east Europe was gradually falling apart. For the European statesmen of the 19th century, it had become the Eastern question - a complex problem of conflicts and alliances, which also raised difficult and sometimes insoluable questions for the Turks themselves. After the final collapse of the empire at the end of World War I, Turkey was reconstructed as a nation-state by Kemal Ataturk and his colleagues, committed to modernist goals. While there were important elements of continuity between the foreign policies of the old empire and new republic, the challenges of the 20th century also presented Turkey's rulers with new questions and policy options.