The Spiral of Foreign Policy During the AK Party Era: Causes, Tools and Examples

Abdullah Turan

Article Details

The Spiral of Foreign Policy During the AK Party Era: Causes, Tools and Examples

Authors:

Abdullah Turan

Publisher:

Kütahya Dumlupinar University

Main Topics:

Türk Dış Politikası

Journal:

Dumlupınar Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi Issue 78, pp.66-101

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

10/2023

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001302315

pISSN:

1302-1842

Keywords:

Abstract:

 During its more than 20 years in power, the AK Party has made many contradictory decisions in foreign policy. Events in the region beyond Türkiyes control have left the AK Party in a spiral of contradictory decisions. This study aims to reveal this spiral in the AK Partys foreign policy practices and to explain the AK Partys maneuvers in this regard by exemplifying them. In this framework, first of all, a large number of articles, books, and political speeches were accessed by conducting a literature review on the aforementioned subject. Sample countries and autonomous regions Iraq, Libya, Syria, Crimea, East Turkistan, which are considered to have a more pronounced foreign policy spiral and which are hotly discussed in the media, were selected and analyzed. In this framework, the main determinants such as the Iraq War, the Greater Middle East Project, and the Arab Spring that caused Türkiye to remain in a spiral in foreign policy were focused on. And then the tools soft power, public diplomacy, etc. used to get out of this spiral were briefly explained. Afterward, the AK Partys foreign policy spiral was analyzed and interpreted within the framework of the main determinants and tools used in foreign policy through foreign policy examples. In this context, it was concluded that the AK Party tried to get out of the foreign policy spiral by putting forward different policy practices in relation with the aforementioned country examples.

 During its more than 20 years in power, the AK Party has made many contradictory decisions in foreign policy. Events in the region beyond Türkiyes control have left the AK Party in a spiral of contradictory decisions. This study aims to reveal this spiral in the AK Partys foreign policy practices and to explain the AK Partys maneuvers in this regard by exemplifying them. In this framework, first of all, a large number of articles, books, and political speeches were accessed by conducting a literature review on the aforementioned subject. Sample countries and autonomous regions Iraq, Libya, Syria, Crimea, East Turkistan, which are considered to have a more pronounced foreign policy spiral and which are hotly discussed in the media, were selected and analyzed. In this framework, the main determinants such as the Iraq War, the Greater Middle East Project, and the Arab Spring that caused Türkiye to remain in a spiral in foreign policy were focused on. And then the tools soft power, public diplomacy, etc. used to get out of this spiral were briefly explained. Afterward, the AK Partys foreign policy spiral was analyzed and interpreted within the framework of the main determinants and tools used in foreign policy through foreign policy examples. In this context, it was concluded that the AK Party tried to get out of the foreign policy spiral by putting forward different policy practices in relation with the aforementioned country examples.

 During its more than 20 years in power, the AK Party has made many contradictory decisions in foreign policy. Events in the region beyond Türkiyes control have left the AK Party in a spiral of contradictory decisions. This study aims to reveal this spiral in the AK Partys foreign policy practices and to explain the AK Partys maneuvers in this regard by exemplifying them. In this framework, first of all, a large number of articles, books, and political speeches were accessed by conducting a literature review on the aforementioned subject. Sample countries and autonomous regions Iraq, Libya, Syria, Crimea, East Turkistan, which are considered to have a more pronounced foreign policy spiral and which are hotly discussed in the media, were selected and analyzed. In this framework, the main determinants such as the Iraq War, the Greater Middle East Project, and the Arab Spring that caused Türkiye to remain in a spiral in foreign policy were focused on. And then the tools soft power, public diplomacy, etc. used to get out of this spiral were briefly explained. Afterward, the AK Partys foreign policy spiral was analyzed and interpreted within the framework of the main determinants and tools used in foreign policy through foreign policy examples. In this context, it was concluded that the AK Party tried to get out of the foreign policy spiral by putting forward different policy practices in relation with the aforementioned country examples.

 AK Parti, 20 yılı geçen iktidarı boyunca dış politikada birbirine zıt birçok karara imza atmıştır. Bölgede Türkiyenin kontrolü dışında gerçekleşen hadiseler AK Partiyi -birbirine zıt ve çelişkili kararlar almaya dönük- bir sarmalın içinde bırakmıştır. Bu çalışma AK Partinin dış politika pratiklerinde yaşadığı bu sarmalı ortaya koymayı ve yaptığı manevraları örneklendirerek açıklamayı amaçlamaktadır. Bu çerçevede öncelikle bahsi geçen konuda kaynak taraması yapılarak çok sayıda makale, kitap ve siyasi konuşmalarına ulaşılmıştır. Bu konuda dış politika sarmalının daha belirgin şekilde gerçekleştiği düşünülen ve medyada sıcak şekilde tartışılan örnek ülkeler ve özerk bölgeler Irak, Libya, Suriye, Kırım, Doğu Türkistan seçilerek incelenmiştir. Bu çerçevede dış politikada Türkiyenin bir sarmalın içinde kalmasına neden olan ana belirleyicilere Irak Savaşı, Büyük Ortadoğu Projesi, Arap Baharı gibi odaklanılmıştır. Ardından bu sarmaldan çıkmak için kullanılan araçlar yumuşak güç, kamu diplomasisi vs. kısaca açıklanmıştır. Sonrasında ise AK Partinin içinde bulunduğu dış politika sarmalı, dış politika örnekleri üzerinden dış politikadaki ana belirleyiciler ve kullanılan araçlar çerçevesinde incelenmiş ve yorumlanmıştır. Bu bağlamda bahsi geçen ülke örnekleri ile ilişkilerde birbirinden farklı politika uygulamaları ortaya konularak dış politika sarmalından çıkılmaya çalışıldığı sonucuna ulaşılmıştır.

Article Details

The Spiral of Foreign Policy During the AK Party Era: Causes, Tools and Examples

Authors:

Abdullah Turan

Publisher:

Kütahya Dumlupinar University

Main Topics:

Türk Dış Politikası

Journal:

Dumlupınar Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi Issue 78, pp.66-101

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

10/2023

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001302315

pISSN:

1302-1842

AK Party

foreign policy

neo-ottomanism

pragmatism

populismAK Parti

dış politika

yeni osmanlıcılık

pragmatizm

popülizm

Issues

Article Details

Authors: Abdullah Turan

Publisher: Kütahya Dumlupinar University

Main Topics: Türk Dış Politikası

Journal: Dumlupınar Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi Issue 78, pp.66-101

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 10/2023

Document Language: Turkish

Document ID (Org No.): 2001302315

pISSN: 1302-1842

Issues

Authors:

Abdullah Turan

Publisher:

Kütahya Dumlupinar University

Main Topics:

Türk Dış Politikası

Journal:

Dumlupınar Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi Issue 78, pp.66-101

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

10/2023

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001302315

pISSN:

1302-1842