Turkish Foreign Policy I (PSI 301)

Department of Political Science and International Relations

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ebru Coban-Ozturk

Course Description

The aim of this course is to provide students with a comprehensive introduction to the Turkish Foreign Policy by examining the historical legacy of the Ottoman Empire, theoretical, historical, and strategic frameworks of the foreign policy of Turkey. The course covers foundations and basic principles of Turkish Foreign Policy and diplomatic-strategic conduct in a historical context. Besides, the foreign policy priorities and their interactions with domestic politics will be scrutinized to establish a deeper understanding of the subject.

Requirements of the Course

Students of the course are expected to attend lectures and contribute to class discussions by reading necessary materials. There will be one mid-term and final examination. Final grade will consist of the following:

Mid-term Exam: 40%

Final Exam: 60%      

Reading Assignments

• William Hale, Turkish Foreign Policy Since 1774, (3rd Edition) (London and New York: Routledge, 2013). (Textbook of the course)
• Baskın Oran, (ed.), Turkish Foreign Policy, 1919-2006: Facts and Analyses with Documents (Salt Lake City: The University of Utah Press, 2010).
• Yücel BozdaÄŸlı, Turkish Foreign Policy and Turkish Identity: A Constructivist Approach (London and New York: Routledge, 2003).
• Hasan Kösebalaban, Turkish Foreign Policy: Islam, Nationalism, and Globalization (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011).
• Selim Deringil, Turkish Foreign Policy during the Second World War: An Active Neutrality (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004).
• Feroz Ahmad, The Making of Modern Turkey (London and New York: Routledge, 2003).
• Umut Uzer, Identity and Turkish Foreign Policy: The Kemalist Influence in Cyprus and the Caucasus (London and New York: I. B. Tauris, 2011).
• Edward Weisband, Turkish Foreign Policy, 1943-1945: Small State Diplomacy and Great Power Politics (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1973).
• Baskın Oran (ed), Türk Dış Politikası, Cilt I (Ä°stanbul: Ä°letiÅŸim, 2013).
• Faruk SönmezoÄŸlu, (der), Türk Dış Politikasının Analizi, (3. basım) (Ä°stanbul: Der Yayınları, 2004).
• Faruk SönmezoÄŸlu, II. Dünya Savaşı’ndan Günümüze: Türk Dış Politikası (Ä°stanbul: Der Yayınları, 2006).
• Erik Jan Zürcher, Milli Mücadelede Ittihatçilik, Çeviren: Nükhet SalihoÄŸlu (Ä°stanbul: Ä°letiÅŸim, 2005).
• Ali Balcı, Türkiye Dış Politikası (Ä°stanbul: EtkileÅŸim, 2013).
• Haydar Çakmak, Türk Dış Politikası (1919-2008) (Ankara: Platin, 2008).

Lecture Topics

Week 1- Introduction

Week 2- Foreign Relations of the Ottoman Empire and Ottoman Legacy in Turkey

Week 3- Foreign Relations of the Ottoman Empire and Ottoman Legacy in Turkey

Week 4- A Theoretical Framework of Turkish Foreign Policy

Week 5- A Theoretical Framework of Turkish Foreign Policy

Week 6- Liberation and the New Republic’s Foreign Policy (1919-1923)

Week 7- Liberation and the New Republic’s Foreign Policy (1919-1923)

Week 8- Mid-term exam

Week 9- Period of Relative Autonomy in Foreign Relations (1923-1939)

Week 10- Period of Relative Autonomy in Foreign Relations (1923-1939)

Week 11- Period of Relative Autonomy in Foreign Relations (1923-1939)

Week 12- Turkey and the Second World War (1939-1945)

Week 13-  Turkey and the Second World War (1939-1945)

Week 14- Cold War Period, Turkey, and the Western Bloc, Overall Assessment of the Turkish Foreign Policy