The AKP has been ruling Turkey since 2002. During the AKP period, Turkish foreign policy has transformed into a more assertive and aggressive form following the outbreak of the Arab Spring in 2011. Moreover, the oppositional nationalist leadership of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has accompanied the increasing assertiveness in Turkish foreign policy. Regarding these puzzles, the research questions why Turkey has not started its nuclear weapon program. Based on the research question, the research is conducted with a qualitative methodology. The data is collected from government archives, newspaper articles, elite statements, and academic publications to create a historical narrative based on process tracing. Process tracing allows examination of the increasing assertiveness in Turkish foreign policy that is one of the puzzles in this study. Additionally, Hymans' leadership identity theory is applied to Erdoğan to shed light on another puzzle of the research. The results show that Turkey has not started its nuclear weapon program because of its NATO membership and nuclear umbrella, the deterrent effect of the international nuclear non-proliferation regime, the impact of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the role of Turkish domestic politics, and the fragility of the Turkish economy toward sanctions.
L'AKP governa la Turchia dal 2002. Durante il periodo dell'AKP, la politica estera turca si è trasformata in una forma più assertiva e aggressiva dopo lo scoppio della primavera araba nel 2011. Inoltre, la leadership nazionalista di opposizione di Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ha accompagnato la crescente assertività della politica estera turca. Per quanto riguarda questi enigmi, la ricerca si chiede perché la Turchia non ha iniziato il suo programma di armi nucleari. Sulla base della domanda di ricerca, la ricerca viene condotta con una metodologia qualitativa. I dati vengono raccolti da archivi governativi, articoli di giornale, dichiarazioni d'élite e pubblicazioni accademiche per creare una narrazione storica basata sul tracciamento dei processi. Il tracciamento del processo consente di esaminare la crescente assertività della politica estera turca, che è uno dei puzzle di questo studio. Inoltre, la teoria dell'identità di leadership di Hymans viene applicata ad Erdoğan per far luce su un altro enigma della ricerca. I risultati mostrano che la Turchia non ha avviato il suo programma di armi nucleari a causa dell'adesione alla NATO e dell'ombrello nucleare, dell'effetto deterrente del regime internazionale di non proliferazione nucleare, dell'impatto del piano d'azione globale congiunto, il ruolo della politica interna turca e la fragilità dell'economia turca verso le sanzioni.
Turkey's Non-Nuclear Weapon State Identity
ALTINTAS, MUHAMMED ALPER
2021/2022
Abstract
The AKP has been ruling Turkey since 2002. During the AKP period, Turkish foreign policy has transformed into a more assertive and aggressive form following the outbreak of the Arab Spring in 2011. Moreover, the oppositional nationalist leadership of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has accompanied the increasing assertiveness in Turkish foreign policy. Regarding these puzzles, the research questions why Turkey has not started its nuclear weapon program. Based on the research question, the research is conducted with a qualitative methodology. The data is collected from government archives, newspaper articles, elite statements, and academic publications to create a historical narrative based on process tracing. Process tracing allows examination of the increasing assertiveness in Turkish foreign policy that is one of the puzzles in this study. Additionally, Hymans' leadership identity theory is applied to Erdoğan to shed light on another puzzle of the research. The results show that Turkey has not started its nuclear weapon program because of its NATO membership and nuclear umbrella, the deterrent effect of the international nuclear non-proliferation regime, the impact of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the role of Turkish domestic politics, and the fragility of the Turkish economy toward sanctions.È consentito all'utente scaricare e condividere i documenti disponibili a testo pieno in UNITESI UNIPV nel rispetto della licenza Creative Commons del tipo CC BY NC ND.
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https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14239/1785