Türkiye’s Policy towards Syrian Asylum Seekers in Light of the Normative Power of the European Union and Carl Schmitt’s Critique of Liberal Democracy

Authors : Özgür Üzelakçil

Pages : 55-70

Doi:10.26650/siyasal.2024.33.1360063

View : 70 | Download : 37

Publication Date : 2024-04-19

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :This study analyses Türkiye’s policy towards Syrian asylum seekers in light of the normative power of the European Union (EU) and Carl Schmitt’s critique of liberal democracy. The article hypothesises that Türkiye, under the influence of the EU’s normative power, prioritised the collectivist discourse in its Syrian asylum seeker policy, pushing universal principles to the background, and finally politicising and bringing them to the bargaining process. This hypothesis was tested, using a qualitative research design, with semi-structured interviews conducted with officials from the Türkiye Red Crescent (TRCO), the Presidency of Migration Management Officer (PMMO), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye (MFAO). Furthermore, data was collected through a quantitative survey with non-random sampling from 390 Turkish citizens who were affected by these policies, residing in the Istanbul/Fatih, Mersin/Mezitli, and Kilis city centres, to determine their perceptions. The data shows that Schmitt’s concerns about liberal democracy are reflected in EUoriented Türkiye’s asylum seeker policies. The conflict between the legal texts covering universal human rights and the national interests of EU Members and Türkiye should only be resolved by harmonized universal principles and collectivist consent.
Keywords : Liberal demokrasi, Sığınmacı politikası, Normatif güç, Ulusal çıkarlar, Meşruiyet