The Policies of Ankara and Berlin toward the Bosnian War: A Comparative Analysis

Abstract

This study analyses the foreign policies of Turkey and Germany toward the Bosnian War, that took place between 1992-1995, in a comparative perspective. Both states had to face an identity crisis in the wake of the phasing out of the bipolar system. Whilst Turkey, all of a sudden, lost its former status within the Western Bloc, Germany could be reunified in a relatively short period of time. The war in Bosnia took place at the very time when an important discussion was continuing about the new position of these aforementioned countries. In view of traditional International Relations theories Turkey, on the one hand, was expected to focus on its internal problems; Germany, on the other hand, was foreseen to pursue an active foreign policy thanks to the new dynamism acquired by reunification. However, what happened in the case of Bosnia was, in fact, the reverse. The main argument of this study is that one of the main factors shaping the foreign policies of Ankara and Berlin toward Bosnia was the ultimate intention to maintain their former state identities in the new era.

Keywords

Turkey, Germany, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Balkans, State Identity

Citation

Demirtaş Coşkun, Birgül, “The Policies of Ankara and Berlin toward the Bosnian War: A Comparative Analysis”, International Relations, Volume 4, Issue 13 (Spring 2007), pp. 57-88.

Affiliations

• Birgül Demirtaş Coşkun, Dr., Başkent University, Department of Political Science and International Relations