Turkish Studies (TKST)

Turkey has always been renowned for occupying a strategic position and having a foothold in one of the most sensitive regions of the world. For many years, Turkish diplomats were keen to point out that Turkey was located in an “unfriendly neighborhood”. During the Cold War, Turkey was a front-line state, situated on the edge of the USSR and was perceived to be an indispensable actor against the spread of communism and has been the only Muslim member of NATO since it became a member in 1952. Furthermore, Turkey is the only Muslim country that has begun full accession negotiations with the European Union and possibly the only country that has strived for over half a century to consolidate liberal democratic norms. The country and its people pride themselves in the fact that they have never been ruled by a foreign country and the modern republic’s predecessor, the Ottoman Empire was a land-based imperial power. In today’s world, interest in Turkey and Turkish foreign policy is growing exponentially, particularly following the so-called Arab Spring, where Turkey is being portrayed as a ‘model’ for regional Muslim countries to emulate. Over the last two decades, Turkey has grown economically, as well as become increasingly politically stable (in terms of government longevity). As Turkey’s national and per capita incomes have risen, so too have the country’s economic interests, both regionally and globally. This has prompted several questions: to what extent is Turkey becoming the regional power and to what extent is Turkey likely to move beyond its traditional western foreign policy commitments in pursuit of its diversifying economic and strategic goals? The course is designed to focus on providing students a clear understanding of the determinants that go into the making of Turkish foreign policy in republican times (1923-present). A general survey of Turkish foreign policy will be completed in the first half of the semester. This will give students both a chronological and historical understanding of the development of international politics surrounding Turkey. This is followed by a regional analysis of foreign policy goals and developments in the contemporary period, in aid of answering the questions posed above.

What is the context of Putin’s bewildering claim of “de-Nazifying” Ukraine in his current war? Why are the European celebrations of May 8 and May 9 – the end of WWII – a constant source of conflict inside societies in Eastern Europe? Why does the history of WWII create tensions in the post-Soviet space, leading to jailed historians, protest movements, and diplomatic expulsions? Why has 20th-century history remained such a gripping topic in peoples’ minds today, and how has it shaped contemporary relations between countries in the region? This course will help students find answers to these and other challenging questions related to the unprecedented weaponization of history and memory in the region.

This course proposes to examine in depth some of the major debates and issues faced by the citizens of the Turkish Republic at the present time. In doing so this course will briefly examine the origins of the modern Turkish State with a focus on the origins of Kemalism and will give particular emphasis to the interplay of domestic and international agendas in the larger framework of the current Turkish debates on such topics as accession negotiations to join the European Union, the Kurdish Opening, and other key domestic political changes during the multiparty era.