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Democracy Promotion and Turkey Bilal Ciplak Bcipl001@Fiu.Edu Florida International University FIU Digital Commons FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations University Graduate School 6-26-2014 Democracy Promotion and Turkey Bilal Ciplak [email protected] DOI: 10.25148/etd.FI14071105 Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd Recommended Citation Ciplak, Bilal, "Democracy Promotion and Turkey" (2014). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1439. https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/1439 This work is brought to you for free and open access by the University Graduate School at FIU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of FIU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY Miami, Florida DEMOCRACY PROMOTION AND TURKEY A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in POLITICAL SCIENCE by Bilal Ciplak 2014 To: Interim Dean Michael R. Heithaus College of Arts and Sciences This dissertation, written by Bilal Ciplak, and entitled Democracy Promotion and Turkey, having been approved in respect to style and intellectual content, is referred to you for judgment. We have read this dissertation and recommend that it be approved. _______________________________________ Benjamin Smith _______________________________________ Markus Thiel _______________________________________ Ronald Cox _______________________________________ Mohiaddin Mesbahi, Major Professor Date of Defense: June 26, 2014 The dissertation of Bilal Ciplak is approved. _______________________________________ Interim Dean Michael R. Heithaus College of Arts and Sciences ______________________________________ Dean Lakshmi N. Reddi University Graduate School Florida International University, 2014 ii © Copyright 2014 by Bilal Ciplak All rights reserved. iii DEDICATIONS I dedicate this dissertation to my wife, Zehra, and to my daughter, Sara, who was born on June 14, 2014. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my deep appreciation and gratitude to my advisor Dr. Mohiaddin Mesbahi, without whose guidance, this dissertation would not have been completed. Despite other commitments, he always dedicated quality time to me. I would also like to thank my dear committee members Dr. Ronald Cox, Dr. Markus Thiel, and Dr. Benjamin Smith for their valuable feedback and support throughout my dissertation research. Dr. Cox’s detailed comments were especially helpful in developing my arguments in a systematic manner. Also, our Chair Dr. Rebeca Salokar and the Graduate Director Dr. Clement Fatovic deserve special thanks. They have always provided us with a friendly and supportive environment in the department. Furthermore, my dear friends Nikolas Esitashvili, Arslan Rana, and Mirsad Krijestorac were there whenever I needed them. I would like to convey my special thanks to them. Without the support of the FIU Graduate School through Doctoral Evidence Acquisition and Doctoral Year Fellowships, I would not have been able to complete this dissertation. Therefore, I want to dedicate a special thanks to the FIU Graduate School. Also, I would like to express my gratitude to Dr. Maureen A. Donnelly for her constructive feedback in the process of graduation. The EU Center of Excellence at FIU also provided me with financial assistance in my data acquisition process. I am indebted to them. I would like to convey my deep appreciation to the deputies and CSO representatives that accepted my interview proposal. I also want to convey my appreciation to the secretaries of my department, Maria C. Wilkinson-Diaz and Mayte Rodriguez who always showed a smiling face and a warm welcome whenever I needed their assistance. My special thanks are due v to my editor Aytul Ergul Hallman for the genuine interest she has shown in improving my text and the editorial comments she has made. Finally, I would like to express my special thanks and utmost appreciation to my parents, my brother, Murat, and to my wife, Zehra, without whose understanding and constant support, I would not have been able to advance to the point I am at. vi ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION DEMOCRACY PROMOTION AND TURKEY by Bilal Ciplak Florida International University, 2014 Miami, Florida Mohiaddin Mesbahi, Major Professor The dissertation documented the degree of Turkey’s involvement in the promotion of democracy in the Arab Middle East (ME). Initially, I investigated why and under what conditions Turkey promotes democracy in the ME, and then I explained strategies through which Turkey promotes democracy in the region. I applied the neo-classical realist theoretical framework and a mixed methodology in the research, and I provided evidence from two sources: face-to-face interviews with the Turkish and foreign officials and common citizens, and the statistical data from institutions, such as the OECD, Turkish Statistical Institute, and World Bank. My research indicates that Turkey promotes democracy through seven channels. These channels are official development assistance (ODA), mentoring, demonstrative effect, normative pressure, conditionality, military power, enlargement, and civil society organizations. Turkey promotes democracy in the ME for three substantial reasons: first, to advance its security and economic interests; second, to improve the political, social, and economic conditions of people living in the region; and third, to create long-term regional stability, crucial for cooperation in economic and security realms. vii I attempted to engage in debates with two distinct, but interrelated fields of comparative politics and international relations. My most important contribution to the field is that I documented Turkey’s case of democracy promotion regarding the degree of Turkey’s involvement in this endeavor, its strategies, specificities, and effectiveness in the region. I also contribute to the field as I explained the difference between democracy promotion policies of a regional power, such as Turkey, and global powers, such as the US. I further engaged in discussions that illuminate some aspects of the interplay between the identity and strategic interests in states’ foreign policy decisions. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE CHAPTER I: SIGNIFICANCE, THEORY, & METHODOLOGY ....................................1 Context of the Study ................................................................................................1 Research Question ...................................................................................................4 Significance of the Study .........................................................................................4 Theoretical Framework ............................................................................................6 Identity .....................................................................................................................9 Methodology and Data Sources .............................................................................17 The Plan of the Dissertation ...................................................................................21 CHAPTER II: DOMESTIC POLITICS: THE EMERGENCE OF TURKEY AS A POWER HOUSE UNDER THE AKP GOVERNMENT ......................................22 Democratization During the Ottoman Empire .......................................................24 The Establishment of the Modern Turkish Republic .............................................26 The AKP Era ..........................................................................................................31 The First Phase: Liberal Democracy ......................................................................32 The Second Phase: Conservative Democracy ........................................................39 The Third Phase: Increased Authoritarianism .......................................................41 The Gezi Park Protests ...........................................................................................45 The 17 December 2013 Corruption Scandal ..........................................................48 CHAPTER III: TURKEY, THE WEST, AND DEMOCRACY PROMOTION ..............55 The American Democracy Promotion after 9-11 ...................................................56 The US’ Interests in Turkish Model ......................................................................64 Turkey’s Reactions to the American Democracy Promotion in the ME ...............67 Initial Talks between Turkey and the US ..............................................................67 Turkey’s Response to the BMENA Initiative ........................................................72 Turkey’s Response to the Backtracking of the US ................................................75 Turkey’s Reaction to the US Interests in the Turkish Model ................................77 The EU’s Impact on Turkey’s Democracy Promotion ..........................................80 The EU and the BMENA Initiative .......................................................................80 The EU’s Influence over Turkey ...........................................................................82 The EU and Institutionalization of Democratic Norms in Turkey ........................82 Turkey’s Learning from the Regionalization in the West .....................................84 The EU’s Impact on the Turkish CSOs .................................................................85 The EU’s Impact on Turkey’s Soft Power .............................................................86
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