Liu Zhongmin and Zeng Zhuo, Identity Politics Dilemma in Turkey's Political Development and Foreign Strategy, Foreign Affairs Review

Source:Diplomatic Review, No. 1, 2023

Abstract: Identity politics are mainly political claims, political practices, and political relations within nation-states and in the international community among certain groups based on specific identities that revolve around gaining recognition and related rights. Currently, identity politics is prominent in Turkey's domestic political developments and foreign relations. In general, Turkey has multiple interconnected and complex identities and contradictory dilemmas of identity politics at three levels: supranational, national, and subnational. At the supranational level, Turkey suffers from the contradiction between pan-communitarian and national identities, i.e., pan-Ottomanism, pan-Islamism, pan-Turkism, and Turkish nationalism, which often leads it to fall into the myth of supranational identity and pursue political goals that are incompatible with its nation-state identity. At the national level, Turkey has long been plagued by the contradictory identities of religion and secularism, and East and West. Turkey, which was founded on secularism, cannot escape the constraints of its Islamic heritage, and as an ally of the West, it is difficult to fully integrate into the West. At the sub-national level, there are contradictions between Turkey's national and ethnic identities. Minority groups represented by Kurdish nationalism struggle for their rights and even turn to violent terrorism, which poses a threat to Turkey's national security and even affects regional security due to the spillover of conflicts, hindering Turkey's accession negotiations and integration into the West. In short, multi-layered identities are intertwined and competing, making Turkey's political development and foreign strategy face a profound identity politics dilemma.

Keywords: Turkey; identity politics; identity; political development; foreign strategy; Erdogan

Identity Politics Dilemma in Turkey's Political Development and Foreign Strategy.pdf