Turkey's Foreign Policy during the Presidential Form of Government Era

Abstract

Turkey's governmental system shifting from a parliamentary to a presidential form has significantly influenced its foreign policy in recent years. Thus, Justice and Development Party's (AKP) political program evolved from soft Islamism to a complicated ideological route that involved a mixture of nationalism and Islamism, as the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) started to support a presidential form of government under the particular alliance. The new alliance has had a significant impact on the rise of the ultra-nationalist foreign policy of Turkey, stemming from a combination of various internal and external factors. In addition, the rise of ultra-nationalism among the Turkish people has been fueled by political factors, geopolitical tensions, economic challenges, and historical grievances. The extent of the ultra-nationalist foreign policies mainly depends on the internal policies and populism of Erdogan that targets far-right support as it affects the ballot boxes. In this regard, the study covers the impact of Ultra-nationalism on Turkey's foreign policy during the presidential form of government era in the frame of the relations with Russia, Iran, and Greece.Considering the rise of ultra-nationalist foreign policies under the rule of the AKP government, this study discusses why the AKP government has shifted the state's foreign policies by comparing the era of the presidential and parliamentary government forms. The main aim of this research is to learn the specific tendencies in the foreign policy of the AKP that commenced after the implementation of the presidential form of government. That paved the way for ultra-nationalist foreign policies and influenced Turkey's relations with Russia, Iran, and Greece. In this frame, the content analysis method was chosen to study related texts, official documents, and articles that shed light on the AKP's foreign policy at a particular time. In addition, the content analysis method is the most appropriate tool for analyzing the speeches of Turkish leaders, parliament members, and other government officials in order to identify specific themes that led to the rise of the ultra-nationalist approaches in Turkey's foreign policy towards Russian, Iran, and Greece. Firstly, Turkey's relations with Russia have been developed based on the specific dilemma involving strategic partnership and regional geopolitical competition. In other words, above mentioned dilemma can be conceptualized as seeking cooperation in world politics within the turbulence of regional conflicts. Nevertheless, Russia has been a critical actor for Turkey, particularly in AKP's foreign policies. Thus, both countries have developed bilateral relations in recent years. However, AKP's ultra-nationalist rhetoric sometimes clashed with Russia's interests, specifically over the conflicts in the Middle East and South Caucasus.Regarding Turkey's relations with Iran, the ultra-nationalist stance of the AKP government has led to complicated relations, as both countries have shared past and cultural ties. Thus, Turkey's historical Westernization challenges and AKP's gentle Islamization approach caused strained relations as Iran stands on opposite sides in terms of both political and religious issues.Considering Turkey's relations with Greece, the ultra-nationalist approach of the AKP significantly contributed to more complicated and strained foreign policies in the Aegean region. In addition, given that Greece is an EU member country, both countries' disputes influence Turkey's foreign policies with the EU, as well. The conflicts between the Aegean neighbor countries, including maritime boundaries, energy resources, and the Cyprus issue, intensified the escalation of the political contradiction that may also lead to military tension.Keywords: Ultra-nationalism, Turkish foreign policy, presidential government form, AKP government, New political alliance