The Role of Foreign Policy in Constructing the Party Identity of the Turkish Justice and Development Party (AKP)

Abstract

Since the start of its tenure, the Justice and Development Party's (AKP) departure from traditional Turkish foreign policy identity has elicited praise and criticism. This article addresses this development by discussing how the AKP has impacted traditional Turkish foreign policy identity, and how, in return, Turkish foreign policy identity has impacted the party identity of the AKP in domestic politics. In particular, this study examines the domestic politics–foreign policy continuum by exploring how foreign policy has served both as an extension of domestic politics as well as a medium to restructure domestic politics during the AKP's three terms in office.

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank the anonymous reviewers and the editors for their constructive comments and invaluable feedback on the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on Contributor

Esen Kirdiş is an Assistant Professor of International Studies at Rhodes College, TN, USA. She received her PhD in Political Science from the University of Minnesota in July 2011. Her research explores democratization, Islamic politics, political parties, identity politics and judicial politics in the Middle East and North Africa region. She has conducted extensive field research in Morocco, Jordan and Turkey. Her previous work has been published in Political Research Quarterly, Democratization and Politics, Religion & Ideology.

Notes

1. Kalaycıoğlu, “Public Choice,” 57–81.

2. Balcı, “Dış Politika”; Duran, “Türk Dış Politikasinin Ic Siyaset Boyutu”; and Yanık, “Foreign Policy,” 213–27.

3. Yanık, “Foreign Policy,” 213–27.

4. Janda et al., “Changes in Party Identity,” 171.

5. Bilgin, “Foreign Policy Orientation”; and Taniyici, “Transformation of Political Islam in Turkey.”

6. Cagaptay, “Is Turkey Leaving the West?”

7. Balcı, “Dış Politika,” 3–29.

8. Milner, Interests, Institutions, and Information.

9. Duran, “Türk Dış Politikasinin Ic Siyaset Boyutu,” 13–64.

10. Balcı, “Dış Politika,” 3–29.

11. Shively, “Party Identification, Party Choice, and Voting Stability,” 1203–25.

12. Kutlay, “Economy as the ‘Practical Hand'”; Öniş, “The Triumph of Conservative Globalism”; and Kiniklioglu, “Turkey's Neighbourhood and Beyond.”

13. Bacık and Afacan, “Turkey Discovers Sub-Saharan Africa,” 483–502.

14. Doty, “Foreign Policy as Social Construction,” 297–320.

15. Ibid., 297–320.

16. The translations from Turkish are the author's own translations.

17. Castells, The Power of Identity, 73.

18. Doty, “Foreign Policy as Social Construction,” 297–320.

19. Müftüler-Bac and Gürsoy, “Is There a Europeanization of Turkish Foreign Policy?”; and Duran, “JDP and Foreign Policy.”

20. Gerner, “The Evolution of the Study of Foreign Policy,” 17–32.

21. Putnam, “Diplomacy and Domestic Politics,” 427–60.

22. Campbell, Writing Security.

23. Balcı, “Dış Politika,” 3–29.

24. Campbell, Writing Security.

25. Ibid., 11.

26. Ibid., 10.

27. Doty, “Foreign Policy as Social Construction,” 297–320.

28. Browning, “Nation Branding,” 195–214.

29. Ibid.

30. Ibid.

31. Wendt, Social Theory of International Politics.

32. Nabers, “Filling the Void of Meaning,” 191–214.

33. Browning, “Nation Branding,” 195–214.

34. Müller and Strom, Policy, Office, or Votes?.

35. Snyder, “Bridging the Realist/constructivist Divide,” 55–71.

36. Balcı, “Türkiye'de Üç Tarz-ı AB Siyaseti,” 1–19.

37. Bozdağlıoğlu, “Modernity, Identity and Turkey's Foreign Policy,” 55–76.

38. Somer, “Moderation of Religious and Secular Politics,” 244–67.

39. “Erdoğan: Kopenhag Kriterleri Ankara kriterleri olacak.”

40. Republic of Turkey, Ministry of EU Affairs, “Siyasi Reformlar-1.”

41. Schwedler, “Review Article,” 347–76.

42. Çarkoğlu, “Who Wants Full Membership?,” 171–94.

43. AKP, “2002 AKP Election Manifesto.”

44. AKP, “Basın Özeti, 18 Haziran 2010.”

45. Republic of Turkey, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “Dışişleri Bakanı Sayın Ali Babacan’ın Özgeçmişi.”

46. “Başmüzakereci Belli Oldu: Ali Babacan.”

47. CHP, “2007 CHP Election Manifesto.”

48. Ibid.

49. Dalay and Friedman, “The AK Party,” 123–39.

50. Başlevent, Kirmanoğlu, and Şenatalar, “Party Preferences and Economic Voting,” 377–91.

51. Taniyici, “Transformation of Political Islam in Turkey,” 463–83.

52. Duran, “JDP and Foreign Policy,” 281–306.

53. Ibid., 281–306.

54. Duran, “Türk Dış Politikasinin Ic Siyaset Boyutu,” 13–64.

55. Davutoğlu, “Turkey's Foreign Policy Vision,” 77–96.

56. Davutoğlu, “Turkey's Zero-problems Foreign Policy.”

57. AKP, “Basın Özeti, 18 Haziran 2010.”

58. Davutoğlu, “Turkey's Zero-problems Foreign Policy.”

59. Davutoğlu cited in Gurcan, “Theory or Attitude?,” 346–71.

60. Kalaycıoğlu, “Public Choice,” 57–81.

61. Kalaycıoğlu, “Turkish Foreign Relations.”

62. Bennhold, “Leaders of Turkey.”

63. Kalaycıoğlu, “Public Choice,” 57–81.

64. Mardin, Religion, Society.

65. Jung, “The Domestic Context,” 23–38.

66. Öniş, “Sharing Power,” 103–22.

67. MHP, “2007 MHP Election Manifesto.”

68. CHP, “2007 CHP Election Manifesto.”

69. Seufert, “TESEV'in Kamuoyu Araştırması Üzerine.”

70. Çarkoğlu, “Turkey's 2011 General Elections,” 43–62.

71. Yeşiltaş, “The Transformation,” 661–87.

72. Dal, “The Transformation of Turkey's Relations,” 245–67.

73. Yanık, “Foreign Policy,” 213–27.

74. “Erdoğan’ın 3. balkon konuşmasının tam metni: 74 milyonun hükümeti olacağız.”

75. Yanık, “Foreign Policy,” 213–27.

76. Ibid.

77. Ibid.

78. Dal, “The Transformation of Turkey's Relations,” 245–67.

79. “Growing Less Mild.”

80. “Problems with the Neighbours.”

81. “Growing Less Mild.”

82. The Alevis in Turkey and the Alawites in Syria, despite the similarities in names, represent different strains of Islam

83. “Growing Less Mild.”

84. Dal, “The Transformation of Turkey's Relations,” 245–67.

85. “Kılıçdaroğlu: Arap Baharı, sonbahar haline gelmeye başladı.”

86. “Dini siyasete alet edenlerin artık demokrasilerde yeri yoktur.”

87. Uzgel, “Gezi'de dış mihrak aramak.”

88. “Erdoğan: Faiz lobisinin neferi oldular.”

89. “Erdoğan’ın ‘Brezilya'daki de aynı oyun’ açıklamaları Zaytung'u haklı çıkarttı.”

90. Shively, “Party Identification,” 1203–25.

91. Kalaycıoğlu, “Attitudinal Orientation,” 297–316.