FEAS RESEARCH E-BULLETIN FEAS E-BULLETIN DECEMBER 2016 | Page 15

Author: Ünal, Derviş Fikret
Title: Turkey’s Relations with Israel in the 2000s: A Constructivist Perspective
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Özlem Tür Küçükkaya
Department: International Relations
Date: June 2016
Abstract: The main aim of this dissertation is to understand Turkey’s relations with Israel in the
2000s from the perspective of Turkey’s state identity. The research question of this dissertation is
whether or not the concept of “state identity” is relevant to the Turkish-Israeli relations, and if so, to
what extent. This dissertation also studies if there is continuity or change in Turkey’s state identity in
the 2000s. To that end, the dissertation compares and contrasts the situation before and after the
Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi) term from a theoretical perspective
in order to reach a final analysis. This dissertation assumes that the change in the Turkish-Israeli
relations in the 2000s from the strategic relations to crises can be explained by the change in
Turkey’s state identity from the pro-Western stance to the Middle Easternized Central Country /
Heir of the Ottoman Empire stance.

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