Ideologies and the Western Question in Turkish Foreign Policy: A Neo-classical Realist Perspective

Authors : Ali Şevket OVALI, İlkim ÖZDİKMENLİ

Pages : 105-126

Doi:10.20991/allazimuth.514465

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Publication Date : 2019-12-20

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Growing anti-Western sentiments around the world are currently manifesting themselves through divergent ways ranging from peaceful resistance movements to various forms of political violence. In the Middle East, unlike the earlier partially secular and nationalist Cold War anti-Americanism, the current popular anti-Western political movements are heavily equipped with Islamism, which appears to be an all-inclusive ideology and political movement for almost all dissidents. This applies to Turkey as well, despite its relatively long history of secularisation. This research particularly aims therefore to discuss the role of nationalism and Islamism on anti-Western sentiments in Turkish foreign policy through the lens of neo-classical realism and a new, broader conceptual framework: The Western Question. The research examines the contours, contents, and consequences of the problem through comparing two cases, namely the Cyprus problem of the 1970s and the crisis with the West that has surfaced after Turkey’s involvement in the Syrian Civil War. 
Keywords : Turkey, Western Question, Neo Classical Realism, United States, European Union