Archive - Conference Papers

This paper focuses on the transformation of Turkish foreign policy (TFP) toward its non-European Union (EU) neighbours throughout Turkey’s accession process to the EU. The principal task of the study is to respond three questions: Has there been any change in traditional nationalist, ideology and security-oriented disengagement TFP toward its neighbours since Turkey achieved candidate status in 1999, if so, to what extent do the recent changes in the TFP align with the EU/-European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) norms and values, and the broader research question is how the Turkey’s accession process to the EU has played a role in transformation of security-oriented TFP toward its neighbours? Europeanisation scholars mostly argue that due to the nature of the CFSP EUisation in the foreign policy realm, a horizontal pattern of learning and socialization occurs. However, this paper argues that the EU conditionality in the field of democracy and rule of law and in the economic realm, in addition to the socialization and experimental learning have in directly played a significant role in the transformation of TFP toward its non-EU neighbors over the last decade by a) empowering new actors and institutions against the traditional actors and institutions in political decision-making, b) bringing about political and economic stability and growth, and c) transferring the domestic religious and minority issues into the realm of normal politics.