Date of Award

2015

Document Type

Open Access Dissertation

Department

Political Science

Sub-Department

College of Arts and Sciences

First Advisor

Robert H.Cox

Abstract

Understanding the Turkish foreign policy has become even more important in recent years given the developments surrounding the country. Furthermore, the last decade witnessed a radical change in the Turkish foreign policy making under the Justice and Development Party (AKP).

This dissertation aims to explain the nature of this change based on the application of the Policy Paradigms Theory, comparing the components of the AKP foreign policy understanding with those of the Kemalist, the status que paradigm that defined the foreign policy making in Turkey well into the early 21st century. The application of the theory provides evidence, based on the changes in ideological, institutional and practical settings, that a paradigm shift in Turkish foreign policy did indeed take place, but not in the manner of leaving the west in favor of the east but the paradigm shift was in the Kemalist understanding being replaced by the neo-Ottomanist approach.

Rights

© 2015, Ali Demirdas

Share

COinS