Ideology and Foreign Policy: A Comparative Analysis of Kemalist (1930-1939) and Islamist (2011-2015) Foreign Policies in Turkey

Abstract

Under what conditions do domestic ideological shifts produce ideology-based foreign policy? In this study, Turkish foreign policies in 1930-1939 and 2011-2015 are comparatively analyzed within the framework of this question. While Kemalist elite pursued a cautious and pragmatic foreign policy in the 1930s, the Islamist elite implemented an ideology-based foreign policy in the first half of the 2010s. This study, which attempts to explain this variation, argues that those governments with low risk of being overthrown in domestic politics tend to pursue an ideologically-induced foreign policy if international environment offers a larger maneuver room to act.

Keywords

Kemalism, Islamism, Turkish Foreign Policy, Ideology

Citation

Kilinç, Ramazan, "Ideology and Foreign Policy: A Comparative Analysis of Kemalist (1930-1939) and Islamist (2011-2015) Foreign Policies in Turkey", International Relations, Volume 13, Issue 52, 2016, pp. 67-88.

Affiliations

• Ramazan KILINÇ, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Nebraska