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Abstract

This paper aims to describe the role of Turkish domestic societal actors in the state policy making in the case of strategic bilateral partnership between Turkey and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG); a quasi state within the Iraqi federal state. The rareness of literature describing domestic forces within Turkey and the consequence for the state’s policy in building a strategic partnership with the KRG was the gap that this research would be expected to narrow. The paper argues that Turkish domestic actors like the individual, the Justice and Development Party (AKP), the Turkish military and business people had an important role; shaping Turkey’s preference and national interests strongly determined by their views on nation and economic regulation which occupied its legitimate preference. The research applied the ideational liberal theory proposed by Andrew Moravcsik emphasizing the primacy of domestic actors. The research was qualitative with descriptive analysis model. The paper represents a perspective that identity or values well embedded in domestic actors’ views do matter to understand the state behavior either cooperation or conflict.

References

Books and Book Chapters

AK Parti, 2012. Political Vision of AK Parti 2023: Politics, Society and the World. Turkey: AK Parti. https://www.akparti.org.tr/english/akparti/2023-political-vision

Cizre, Umit, 2009. “Ideology, Context and Interest: the Turkish Military” in Kasaba, Resat (ed.), 2009. History of Turkey: Turkey in Modern World. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/CHOL9780521620963.012

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Demirtaş, Birgul, 2015. “Turkish Foreign Policy towards the Balkans: A Europeanised Foreign Policy in A De-europeanised National Context?” Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, 20(10), 1-17. doi: 10.1080/19448953.2014.994283

Kirişci, Kemal, 2009. “The Transformation of Turkish Foreign Policy: The Rise of the Trading States.” New Perspectives on Turkey, 40, 29-57. doi: 10.1017/S0896634600005203

Moravcsik, Andrew, 1997. “Taking Preferences Seriously: A Liberal Theory of International Politics.” International Organization, 51(4), 513–553. https://www.princeton.edu/~amoravcs/library/preferences.pdf

Morelli, Massimo, and Constantino Pischedda, 2014. “The Turkey-KRG Energy Partnership: Assessing Its Implications.” Middle East Policy, 21(1), 107-121. doi: 10.1111/mepo.12061

Ozkan, Gul Berna, and Hasan Turunc, 2011. “Economic Liberalization and Class Dynamics in Turkey: New Business Groups and Islamic Mobilization.” Insight Turkey, 13(3), 63-86. https://pure.royalholloway.ac.uk/portal/files/2712929/class_and_business_insight_turkey.pdf

Paasche, Till F, and Howri Mansurbeg, 2014. “Kurdistan Regional Government–Turkish Energy Relations: A Complex Partnership.” Eurasian Geography and Economics Journal, 55(2), 111-132. doi: 10.1080/15387216.2014.942339

Uzgel, Ilhan, 2003. “Between Praetorianism and Democracy: the Role of the Military in Turkish Foreign Policy,” Turkish Yearbook, 34, 177-211. http://dergiler.ankara.edu.tr/dergiler/44/674/8590.pdf

Yilmaz. Remziye, 2017. “Turkey-KRG Energy Relations: Internal and External Dynamics.” Journal of Global Analysis, 7(2), 130-154. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322041083_Turkey-KRG_Energy_Relations_Internal_and_External_Dynamics

Research Reports, Working Papers and Others

Dalacoura, Katerina, 2017. “A New Phase in Turkish Foreign Policy: Expediency and AKP Survival”, LSE Research Report, No. 4, February. http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/69619/

Dalay, Galip, 2017. “Evolution of Turkey – Iraqi Kurdistan’s Relations”. Aljazeera Center for Studies Report, 20 December. http://studies.aljazeera.net/en/reports/2017/12/evolution-turkey-iraqi-kurdistans-relations-171220092851950.html

Moravcsik, Andrew, 2001. “Liberal International Relations Theory: A Social Scientific Assessment”, WCFIA Working Paper, No. 01-02, April. https://wcfia.harvard.edu/files/wcfia/files/607_moravscik.pdf

Moravcsik, Andrew, 2010. “Liberal Theories of International Relations: A Primer” [unpublished paper]. https://www.princeton.edu/~amoravcs/papers.html

Tol, Gonul, 2014. “Untangling the Turkey-KRG Energy Partnership: Looking. Beyond Economic Drivers”, Policy Brief, No. 14, March 2014. http://www.iai.it/en/pubblicazioni/untangling-turkey-krg-energy-partnership

Ustun, Kadir, and Lesley Dudden, 2017. “Turkey-KRG Relationship, Mutual Interest and Geopolitical Challenges,” SETA Analysis, No. 31, September. https://setav.org/en/assets/uploads/2017/09/Analysis31.pdf

Conference Papers

Giannotta, Valeria, 2010. “Is Turkey Turning Its Face from the West?” at SGIR 7th Pan-European Conference, September. Stockholm: European International Studies Association. http://www.eisa-net.org/eisa-net.org/be-bruga/eisa/files/events/stockholm/_is_TR%20turning_its_face_from_the_West.pdf

Uner, Mithat, and Kadri Gokhan Yilmaz, 2013. “Unique Characteristics of the Middle Class in Turkey as an Emerging Country,” at the Conference of GSU-CIBER’s 1st annual Middle Class Phenomenon in Emerging Markets, January. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301889339_Unique_Characteristics_of_the_Middle_Class_in_Turkey_as_an_Emerging_Country

Master’s Theses

Ahmed, Arez Hussen, 2015. The Influence of the Kurdistan Regional Government-Turkey Relations on the Kurdish Question in Turkey. Master’s thesis. Lund: Center for Middle Eastern Studies Lund University. http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/7470640/file/7470653.pdf

Kara, Mehtap, 2011. Axis Shift in Turkish Foreign Policy during AKP Administration: New Fundamental Foreign Policy Principles and Challenges. Master’s thesis. Gazimağusa: Eastern Mediterranian University. http://i-rep.emu.edu.tr:8080/xmlui/handle/11129/96

Video

Erdogan, Recep Tayeb, 2014. Turkey’s Role Middle East, February 12. [interview video].http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/talktojazeera/2014/02/erdogan-turkey-role-middle-east-201421282950445312.html

Online Articles

Ozkan, Ozgur, 2018. “Don’t Turn the Turkish Army into A Political Tool” [online]. https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/06/20/dont-turn-the-turkish-army-into-a-political-tool/

Presidency of Republic of Turkey, 2014. “President Erdogan Addresses World Economic Forum” [press release, online]. https://www.tccb.gov.tr/en/news/542/3264/president-erdogan-addresses-world-economic-forum

Turkish Armed Forces General Staff, 2018. “Mission” [online]. https://www.tsk.tr/Sayfalar?viewName=Mission

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