THE GENESIS OF THINK-TANK CULTURE IN TURKEY: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE? A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES OF MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY BY AZ İZ AYDIN IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS SEPTEMBER 2006 Approval of the Graduate School of Social Sciences Prof. Dr. Sencer Ayata Director I certify that this thesis satisfies all the requirements as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science. Prof. Dr. Meliha Altunı şık Head of Department This is to certify that we have read this thesis and that in our opinion it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Science. Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Ba ğcı Supervisor Examining Committee Members Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Ba ğcı (METU, IR) Prof. Dr. İhsan Da ğı (METU, IR) Prof. Dr. Ali L. Karaosmano ğlu (Bilkent Univ., IR) I hereby declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. I also declare that, as required by these rules and conduct, I have fully cited and referenced all material and results that are not original to this work. Name, Last Name: Aziz Aydın Signature: iii ABSTRACT THE GENESIS OF THINK-TANK CULTURE IN TURKEY: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE? Aydın, Aziz Master of Science, Department of International Relations Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Bağcı September 2006, 204 pages This thesis analyses the emergence and evolution of the think-tanks in Turkey. It seeks primarily to answer to whether or not it is possible to mention ‘a think-tank culture’ in Turkey. After the definition, characteristics and types of the think-tank term are debated, the historical background of think-tanks all over the world is analyzed. The thesis looks at similarities and differences among the think-tanks in and outside Turkey in terms of their size and areas of specialization. It also tries to find out who are pioneering to the establishment of think-tanks, whom the think- tanks are serving, which financial resources and functions they have in Turkey. Keywords: think-tank, think-tank culture, NGO, policy making process iv ÖZ TÜRK İYE’DE DÜ ŞÜNCE KURULU ŞU KÜLTÜRÜNÜN DO ĞUŞU: GEÇM İŞ , BUGÜN VE GELECEK? Aydın, Aziz Yüksek Lisans, Uluslararası İli şkiler Bölümü Tez Yöneticisi: Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Bağcı Eylül 2006, 204 sayfa Bu tez Türkiye’de dü şünce kurulu şlarının do ğuşunu ve geli şimini inceler. Tez, öncelikle, Türkiye’de dü şünce kurulu şu kültüründen bahsedilip bahsedilemeye- ce ğinin cevabını arar. Dü şünce kurulu şu teriminin tanımı, özellikleri ve çe şitleri tartı şıldıktan sonra dünyadaki dü şünce kurulu şlarının tarihsel arkaplanı incelenir. Tez, büyüklükleri ve uzmanla ştıkları alanlara göre Türkiye’deki dü şünce kurulu şlarının yurt dışındakilerden farklarını ve benzerliklerini inceler. Tez, aynı zamanda, Türkiye’de dü şünce kurulu şlarının kurulmasına kimlerin öncülük etti ğini, dü şünce kurulu şlarının kimlere hizmet verdi ğini, bunların hangi mali kaynaklara ve işlevlere sahip oldu ğunu anlamaya çalı şır. Anahtar Kelimeler: dü şünce kurulu şu, dü şünce kurulu şu kültürü, STK, politika olu şturma süreci v To My Family vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to express my gratitude and appreciation to my advisor, Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Ba ğcı, for his guidance, insight and full comments throughout the research. He proposed this interesting subject to me and he has contributed greatly with his valuable suggestions throughout the thesis. I wish to thank Assist. Prof. Dr. Serhat Güvenç, who let me make use of his unpublished studies. I offer my thanks to Assoc. Prof. Dr. İdris Bal, chairman of AGAM, Prof. Dr. Gökhan Çetinsaya, Şükrü Elekda ğ, Istanbul Deputy of CHP and ambassador (Rt), Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ça ğrı Erhan, Habib Hürmüzlü, former president of the Iraqi Research Center and expert of GSE, Dr. İbrahim Kalın, director of SETA, Bülent Karadeniz, director of SAM, Prof. Dr. Ali L. Karaosmano ğlu, chairman of the Department of International Relations of Bilkent University, Kemal Kılıçdaro ğlu, Istanbul Deputy of CHP, Suat Kınıklıo ğlu, director of GMF’s Ankara office and founding director of ANKAM, Ali Külebi, acting president of TUSAM, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sedat Laçiner, director of USAK, Dr. Nihat Ali Özcan, senior researcher of TEPAV, Prof. Dr. Cihat Özönder, president of KÖKSAV, Dirk Tröndle, deputy representative of KAS’ office in Turkey, Erol Tuncer, president of TESAV, and Dr. Ahmet Yıldız, director of the TGNA Research Center for devoting their time. I would also like to thank the staff of the American Information Research Center, the TGNA Library, and the TGNA Research Center, especially Feride Ero ğlu and Tufan Büyükcan for their support. I wish to thank Cameron Boyle for his editing on the text of this study. Finally, I want to thank my wife, Şilen, and my daughter, Ceren, for their love, support and patience. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS PLAGIARISM...................................................................................................... iii ABSTRACT ..........................................................................................................iv ÖZ..........................................................................................................................v DEDICATION ......................................................................................................vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................vii TABLE OF CONTENTS.....................................................................................viii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................xi LIST OF TABLES...............................................................................................xvi CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................1 2. GENERAL FRAMEWORK FOR THINK-TANKS ....................................6 2.1 The Problem of Definition ..................................................................7 2.2. The Classification of Think-Tanks....................................................11 2.3. Historical Development of Think-Tanks ...........................................17 2.3.1. The First Wave: The Emergence of Think-Tanks ..................19 2.3.2. The Second Wave: The Spread of Think-Tanks in the OECD Countires ..............................................................................20 2.3.3. The Third Wave: The World-Wide Think-Tank Boom..........21 2.3.4. The Fourth Wave: The Transnatinalization of Think-Tanks...25 2.4. Approaches to Analyze Think-Tanks ................................................28 2.5. The Role and Function of Think-Tanks.............................................30 2.6. The Influence of Think-Tanks...........................................................35 2.7. The Funding of Think-Tanks ............................................................41 3. THE EVOLUTION OF THINK-TANKS IN TURKEY ............................45 3.1. The genesis of Think-Tanks in Turkey..............................................45 3.1.1. The Economic and Social Studies Conference Board ............48 3.1.2. The Economic Research Foundation .....................................50 3.1.3. The Foundation for Economic Development .........................52 3.1.4. The Foreign Policy Institute ..................................................54 3.2. Emergence of New Think-Tanks in the Period of 1980-1990 ............56 3.2.1. The Political and Social Studies Foundation..........................58 3.2.2. The Foundation for Middle East and Balkan Studies .............59 viii 3.2.3. The Turkish Branch Office of Konrad Adenauer Stiftung......60 3.2.4. The Marmara Group Strategic and Social Researches Foundation............................................................................61 3.2.5. The Turkish Democracy Foundation .....................................62 3.2.6. The Istanbul Branch of Orient Institute..................................64 3.2.7. The Turkish Branch Office of Friedrich Ebert Stiftung..........65 3.2.8. The Islamic Research Center.................................................66 3.2.9. The Turkish Social, Economic, Political Research Foundation............................................................................67 3.3. New Political Climate and Think-Tanks in the Period of 1991-1999.68 3.3.1. KÖK Social and Strategic Research Foundation....................70 3.3.2. The Turkish Branch Office of Friedrich Naumann Stiftung ...70 3.3.3. The Social, Economic, Political Research Foundation ...........71 3.3.4. The Turkish Branch Office of Heinreich Böll Stiftung ..........72 3.3.5. The Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation ..........73 3.3.6. The ARI Movement ..............................................................77 3.3.7. The Association for Liberal Thinking....................................78 3.3.8. The National Policy Research Foundation.............................81 3.3.9. The Yükseli ş Economic and Strategic Research Foundation..82 3.3.10. The Center for Strategic Research .........................................82 3.3.11. The National Committee for Strategic Research and Studies .84 3.3.12. The Center for Eurasian Strategic Studies .............................85 3.4. Proliferation of Think-Tanks in the 2000s.........................................87 3.4.1. The Economists’ Platform.....................................................89