Ontological Insecurity, Anxiety, and Hubris: An Affective Account of Turkey-KRG Relations

Abstract

Given Iraqi Kurds’ special place in Turkey’s ‘biographical narrative’, Turkey-Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) relations are not simply strategic or economic but also highly affectively charged. These relations involve emotional encounters filled with anxiety, pride, anger, and disappointment that generate concerns for not only Turkey’s physical security but also its ontological security. This paper traces the emotional context of Turkey- KRG relationship. It suggests that a combination of Turkey’s deep-rooted ‘anxiety’ and ‘hubris’ toward the Iraqi Kurds prevented the emergence of a close partnership between these two actors and fostered merely a ‘fragile rapprochement’ since 2008.

Keywords

Ontological security, emotions, identity, foreign policy change, Turkish foreign policy

Citation

Ozlem Kayhan Pusane and Aslı Ilgıt, “Ontological Insecurity, Anxiety, and Hubris: An Affective Account of Turkey-KRG Relations”, International Relations, Vol. 19, No. 73, 2022, pp. 95-111, DOI: 10.33458/uidergisi.1085441

Affiliations

• Ozlem KAYHAN PUSANE, Associate Professor, Isik University, Department of International Relations, Istanbul
• Aslı ILGIT, Associate Professor, Cukurova University, Department of Political Science and International Relations, Adana