The long-standing relationship between Turkey and the EU has cooled considerably over the past decade. Due to its geopolitical importance in various areas – including the fields of security,...Show moreThe long-standing relationship between Turkey and the EU has cooled considerably over the past decade. Due to its geopolitical importance in various areas – including the fields of security, migration, and trade – the developments of the Turkey-EU relations are closely followed by experts. This thesis aims to determine what factors have contributed to post-2011 Turkey-EU tensions. It is convinced that relying upon events alone is not sufficient to understand the key dynamics of Turkey-EU tensions and to answer the research question. Specifically, it investigates how the notion of identity – as an angle within constructivism theory - played a role in the rise of right-wing populism and Islamophobia in Western Europe, the rise of political Islam in Turkey, the EU accession process, and it also scrutinizes the role of identity independently. To answer the research question, secondary data was collected through qualitative and quantitative research methods. Primary data was collected through one-on-one interviews with both Turkish and European participants. Responses were analyzed using critical discourse analysis (CDA). The results show a strong correlation between ‘‘Self’’ vs. ‘‘Other’’ sentiments - as prevalent in Turkey-EU tensions - and identity. On this basis, both Turkey and the EU seem to find themselves in an identity crisis that they both reflect upon the ‘‘Other’’ to safeguard their own identity. These results suggest that developments such as the rise of right-wing populism and Islamophobia in Western Europe and the rise of political Islam in Turkey, each contributing to mutual tensions, are products of a contemporary identity dilemma.Show less
Rising tensions and new cooperation tendencies in the Eastern Mediterranean area are highlighted by energy politics. Latest natural gas discoveries in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea have prompted...Show moreRising tensions and new cooperation tendencies in the Eastern Mediterranean area are highlighted by energy politics. Latest natural gas discoveries in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea have prompted many to wonder whether natural resources might help the area to reach peace and prosperity. However, the recent tensions and navy confrontations reveal that competition extends beyond the race for energy. By focusing on the 2018 energy dispute between the Republic of Cyprus (in alliance with Greece) and Turkey, this thesis paper examines the fluctuations of geopolitical strategies in the Eastern Mediterranean, as well as their influence on regional cooperation and the new foreign relations realities between the competing regional powers. What impact do regional and international powers' actions and policies have on regional security? Does the discovery of energy resources lead to closer cooperation or increased competition? This thesis paper looks beyond the economic importance of energy resources and analyses the energy problem in the Mediterranean Sea as primarily a geopolitical and strategic one, with economics playing a secondary role.Show less
The media has played a centripetal role in shaping public opinion and setting domestic and foreign affairs agendas. The Republic of Turkey is a ubiquitous factor in Greek historiography, nation...Show moreThe media has played a centripetal role in shaping public opinion and setting domestic and foreign affairs agendas. The Republic of Turkey is a ubiquitous factor in Greek historiography, nation-building processes, and foreign security policy. Throughout their unstable and fluctuating relations, the Greco – Turkish dyad has received copious media attention. In 2019 Turkey and Libya signed a maritime exclusive economic zone (EEZ) Memorandum of Understanding. Such a settlement allegedly balked the EU's planned project to enhance the EastMed pipeline and violated Greece's EEZ, consequently causing an intense media reaction throughout Greece. This thesis applies Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to the publications of Kathimerini and Ta Nea, Greece's most widely read daily newspapers. The analysis brings insight into the media's sociopolitical role, its position regarding the citizenry and the state, and Turkey's importance as an external agent that reinforces the Greeks' in-group cohesion. Considering Aristotelian topoi to approach CDA, the analysis indicates that the Greek media's narrative on the Turkey-Libya settlement frames (i) Turkey as a threatening 'other,' (ii) portrays Greece as the referent object, and (iii) rejects the validity of such a settlement under international law, reinforcing the previous two points.Show less
Turkey’s connection to the Balkans dates back to its shared past with the Ottoman Empire. After the dissolution of the empire, Turkey has maintained a continuous, albeit fluctuating, involvement in...Show moreTurkey’s connection to the Balkans dates back to its shared past with the Ottoman Empire. After the dissolution of the empire, Turkey has maintained a continuous, albeit fluctuating, involvement in the region. The period after the breakup of Yugoslavia (1992) and the Serb-Bosnian war (1992-1995) marked an interesting turning point in Turkey’s further involvement within the cultural, political, and religious spheres of the Balkan region. Turkeys' involvement and influence in the region can be described through the cultural and political factors and most importantly to its Ottoman Islamic heritage. The aftermath of the Serb-Bosnian war in Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereafter shortened to Bosnia) demonstrated a rise of foreign Islamic actors seeking to provide aid and relief to the affected Bosnian Muslims and their community. The post-war period was heavily defined by Saudi Arabian and Iranian actors and to a lesser extent Turkish actors. The departure of Saudi and Iranian actors allowed Turkish religious voices to take over spaces left by those previous actors. This turning point is interesting to explore as it questions the nature of Turkey's continuous involvement and its development in the region, specifically in Bosnia. This leads to the question: In what ways have Turkish religious influences developed and affected Bosnian Muslims after the Serb-Bosnian war (1992-1995)?Show less
This thesis investigates the sustainability and benefits of Sino-Turkish cooperation within the Turkish energy and transport sectors. Through the application of concepts such as "energy security"...Show moreThis thesis investigates the sustainability and benefits of Sino-Turkish cooperation within the Turkish energy and transport sectors. Through the application of concepts such as "energy security" and "environmentally sustainable transport" the research results can be presented coherently along firm boundaries. Increasing Chinese influence seems to be beneficial for Turkey to achieve its 2023 goals of becoming an important energy and transport hub. However, the aspired ecological sustainability of the cooperation is endangered through the use of traditional sources of energy and transport.Show less
A discovery of natural resources in your back garden. A blessing or a curse for the relationship with your neighbours? It is precisely this question that this paper is concerned with. Discoveries...Show moreA discovery of natural resources in your back garden. A blessing or a curse for the relationship with your neighbours? It is precisely this question that this paper is concerned with. Discoveries of enormous natural gas fields in the Eastern Mediterranean are having a paradigm shifting effect on the international relations of the region. Hence, the research question that drives this thesis is the following. What will the impact of the natural gas be on the international relations of the states of the Eastern Mediterranean? This paper will show that natural gas in the Eastern Mediterranean has led to greater cooperation and regionalisation and will continue to do so in the future. However, this paper will also show the limitations of the beneficial effects of cooperation over natural resources. The relevancy of this topic stems from it alluding to an important question, whether natural resources are a blessing or a curse. For many countries the discovery of natural resources has led to great wealth and development. However, for many others it has been a burden leading to less development and growth or even weakening democracy. Resources and the competition over them can also lead to conflict and it is this realm of the international political consequences of the resources that this paper is focused on.Show less
A comparative historical research upon the situation and its development of the identities of the Alevite and Alawite minorities within Turkey and Syria.
This paper will seek possible and convincing explanations of Turkey’s military involvements in the Syrian conflict. It is positioned in the researches of third party interventions in intrastate...Show moreThis paper will seek possible and convincing explanations of Turkey’s military involvements in the Syrian conflict. It is positioned in the researches of third party interventions in intrastate conflicts within the field of International Relations. I will use qualitative method and test Patrick M. Regan’s theoretical assumptions on military interventions by using the case of Turkey’s military interventions in the Syrian conflict. In terms of case study, I will provide two sub-cases, which are Operation Olive Branch, launched on January 20, 2018 till March 18, 2018 and Operation Euphrates Shield conducted from August 24, 2016 to March 29, 2017. By examining these two intervention policies, I will seek Turkey’s main objectives in meddling in the Syrian quagmire.Show less
Mandatory exchange of populations between Turkey and Greece in 1923 was embodied at the Lausanne Conference in Switzerland. The forced transfer of people during the early years of the new Turkish...Show moreMandatory exchange of populations between Turkey and Greece in 1923 was embodied at the Lausanne Conference in Switzerland. The forced transfer of people during the early years of the new Turkish Republic exemplified the nationalist sentiments of the time. This compulsory transfer was not based on language or ethnicity of people, but on religion. During the time of Turkish identity construction and the execution of Turkification policies, Muslim refugees —comprising not only Turks but also other ethnic groups— had to (re)adjust to their “homelands”. In this context, this thesis examines the detrimental effects of nation-building processes on the (minority) immigrant population from a historical and socio-political perspective. By analyzing the adjustment of Muslim refugees to their life in Turkey, more specifically in the town of Kayaköy/Fethiye, this study aims to contribute to the broader field of politics by shedding more light on the effects of nationalism on minority groups.Show less
This thesis looks into symbols of nationalism to investigate the deeper complexities of nationalism. Specifically, the focus has been on the Kurdish minstrels, the dengbêjs, and how they reflect...Show moreThis thesis looks into symbols of nationalism to investigate the deeper complexities of nationalism. Specifically, the focus has been on the Kurdish minstrels, the dengbêjs, and how they reflect the changes undergone by Kurdish nationalism in Turkey. The main argument of this thesis is that the dengbêjs, through their changed importance, are indicative of the changes in Kurdish nationalism itself. It is specifically the rise of the dengbêjs’ popularity in recent years that is discussed. To explore their significance, the first chapter will outline the fundamental concepts of nationalism and collective memory. To provide further understanding of the situation for Kurds in Turkey and why the dengbêjs may be so important, an overview will be provided of Kurdish history and the historical developments of Kurdish nationalism. Finally, the third chapter will discuss the dengbêjs, analyze the developments the minstrel art has gone through, and relate these to the changes in Kurdish nationalism. The dengbêjs form a reminder and a reinvigoration of the Kurdish identity, and elevate the Kurdish language and culture to new levels. The dengbêjs’ popularization is not only a matter of local processes, but equally of global processes affecting nationalism and culture.Show less
This thesis critically analyses the restoration of the Grand Synagogue of Edirne in Turkey, highlighting the politics of tolerance discourses in Turkey and their implications on the Turkish Jewish...Show moreThis thesis critically analyses the restoration of the Grand Synagogue of Edirne in Turkey, highlighting the politics of tolerance discourses in Turkey and their implications on the Turkish Jewish community as reflected through cultural heritage practices.Show less
This thesis will try to shed light upon the interactions of the state with the public in the landscape of a changing state-society relationship and the consolidation of a dominant hegemonic power,...Show moreThis thesis will try to shed light upon the interactions of the state with the public in the landscape of a changing state-society relationship and the consolidation of a dominant hegemonic power, in order to find answers to these contemporary questions and establish an understanding of the contemporary political and social landscape – and their interrelatedness – in the Turkish state. Therefore, this thesis will combine concepts from societal and political studies – namely Public Sphere, Identity Politics and Modes of Governance – to point out their interconnectedness and, perhaps, mutually enforcing nature. Through in-depth analyses of the context, the AKP’s campaign and of electoral behaviour during the 2002, 2007 and 2015 parliamentary and – in the case of 2007 – presidential elections, this essay will cover the question what strategies are being used by Erdogan and the AKP to alter the public sphere and utilize the changed societal sentiments for their own cause. Ultimately, this thesis serves to establish a comprehensive theoretical framework and case study analysis on the contemporary political situation in Turkey in times of elections and to add another facet to the research on the interconnectedness of social transformation and state policies.Show less
The article explores Turkey's renewed interest in the Balkans through the scope of neo-Ottomanism. It researches the effects of Turkey's neo-Ottomanist Foreign Policy. The article devotes a special...Show moreThe article explores Turkey's renewed interest in the Balkans through the scope of neo-Ottomanism. It researches the effects of Turkey's neo-Ottomanist Foreign Policy. The article devotes a special look into the minority politics in Bulgaria. It researches the shifts in Turkish Foreign Policy towards the Turkish minorities in the Balkans under the ruling AK party in Turkey.Show less
