Insight Turkey / issues

Editor's Note | Spring 2015

Wed, 01 Apr 2015 10:09:00 GMT

Energy security, at the heart of energy policy, has become central to the dynamics of international relations. Political turmoil has overwhelmed many oil and gas producing countries, forcing them to adapt their national energy policies according to this continuous change. Specifically, because of the wars and instability in the Middle East and the Ukrainian crisis, global energy security is no longer guaranteed.

Nation-Building in Iraq: Iran 1, the United States 0

Wed, 01 Apr 2015 12:40:00 GMT

In different ways, both the United States and Iran have engaged in nation-building in Iraq. The United States did so very explicitly, announcing to the world its intention to rebuild post-Saddam Iraq as a democratic country with a US trained professional army. Iran’s approach was low profile and focused not on transforming Iraq into a new country but on building strong relations with important domestic actors. The US failed in Iraq, Iran succeeded in establishing itself as the most influential player. No matter how one judges the outcome, it entails an important lesson for the United States about its approach to nation-building.

Iran versus ISIL

Wed, 01 Apr 2015 12:30:00 GMT

Iran’s response to the rise of ISIL has been driven by realpolitik rather than religious identity. ISIL threatens to undermine Iran’s regional alliance structure and destabilize its borders. Iran has responded not only by mobilizing Shi’a militias but also working with the United States and the Kurds. Nevertheless, this pragmatic approach may prove unstable over the long term. Iran’s new relationship with the United States remains fragile, and Iran’s regional interests conflict with those of the Sunni members of the anti-ISIL alliance.

Turkey’s Energy Security Strategy in the Emergent Global Energy Outlook

Wed, 01 Apr 2015 12:20:00 GMT

Since the beginning of the 2000s the global energy landscape has undergone constant change. Various factors have affected both the demand and supply sides of the global energy security outlook. As a result, both consumer and producer states have constantly felt the need to adapt to emergent market conditions. Hence, this paper first aims to highlight the continuous changes within the global energy market and simultaneously present and evaluate Turkey’s determined search to fulfill the requirements of its energy supply security strategy.

From Energy Security to Energy Governance: Turkey’s Role in a Globalizing Energy Landscape

Wed, 01 Apr 2015 12:10:00 GMT

The logic of energy security is changing, with supply security being de-emphasized, governance and collective solutions are being increasingly emphasized. As issues of energy, climate change, sustainability, energy-poverty have become thoroughly intermingled, the challenge of energy security cannot be tackled merely by mercantilist, national, uni-dimensional tools. Turkish energy transition is in a excellent position to derive lessons from this security-governance supplantation and also be a catalyst for the region as well as the globe.

The Turkish Stream Project in the EU-Russia-Turkey Triangle

Wed, 01 Apr 2015 12:00:00 GMT

The cancellation of the South Stream Project and the announcement of a new pipeline project in its stead, recently promoted and called the Turkish Stream, to connect Russia and Europe via Turkey has added a new dimension to Turkey-Russia relations. With its stable economic indicators and geopolitical position, Turkey has gained a critical position in shaping the global energy map by means of similar projects. The Turkish Stream, which was launched in an atmosphere of souring relations between Russia and the European Union (EU), represents a project that could play a critical role in improving Turkey-EU relations.

Turkey’s Energy Strategy: Synchronizing Geopolitics and Foreign Policy with Energy Security

Wed, 01 Apr 2015 14:00:00 GMT

This article analyzes Turkey’s official energy strategy to indicate how it responds to actual challenges by striking a compromise between market characteristics, and geopolitics and foreign policy. It points to Turkey’s growing energy demand as one of the most significant factors that affect the country’s policies and elaborates how Turkey’s supply security perspective intersects with geopolitical features and foreign policy issues on behalf of international cooperation. The first section, with conceptual highlights, gives a brief picture of the actual energy security challenges that Turkey faces. The second part focuses on Turkey’s official energy strategy (Turkey’s Energy Strategic Plan, as introduced by the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources) to understand how these policies respond to the challenges Turkey faces. The final section gives an idea of how Turkey’s energy security strategy supports international cooperation with diverse actors.

Turkish-Azerbaijani Energy Relations: Significant Leverage in the Implementation of the Foreign Policy Interests of Both Countries

Wed, 01 Apr 2015 13:50:00 GMT

Modern international relations are a reflection of the successful coordination of various factors, including close cooperation and a strategic vision for the future. A very significant example of this synergy is the relationship between Turkey and Azerbaijan. These two countries initially had their own historical relationship, based on common culture and ethnic origin. Skillfully taking advantage of these factors, Turkey and Azerbaijan rapidly began to develop their relations in all spheres. Special attention should be paid to their mutually beneficial cooperation in the energy sector, which is the driving force behind their economic and political initiatives. This article will analyze the impact of the energy cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkey on the implementation of these states’ foreign policies, and the achievement of their national interests.

Turkey’s Energy Diversification Strategy in Sub-Saharan Africa

Wed, 01 Apr 2015 13:40:00 GMT

Since 2003, by instituting a multidimensional foreign policy, Turkey has aimed to reach new geographies and regions by creating and using her soft power. A growing economy, historical connections with the targeted regions and close relations with western societies have resulted in a better reputation for Turkey, both in her region, and globally.

Exportation of EastMed Gas Resources: Is it Possible without Turkey?

Wed, 01 Apr 2015 13:29:00 GMT

The exportation of groundbreaking Eastern Mediterranean (EastMed) gas resources will only be possible as a result of full regional stabilization and the peaceful resolution of all geopolitical hotspots. Ongoing tensions and chronic conflicts between individual players in the basin have resulted in economical depreciation. The general nature of the EastMed basin: small-scale, isolated reservoirs scattered around the world-class Leviathan field, require international investments, cost-effective solutions and widespread cooperation in order for the interconnection and commercialization of the sources to be achieved. Cross-border and basin-wide upstream investments and a new unified marketing model for EastMed gas via the most feasible way, i.e. the Turkish Gas Market, stands to be one of the most important energy and geopolitical successes of the last few decades.

International Dynamics of Oil Prices in Four Dimensions: An Analytical Investigation

Wed, 01 Apr 2015 13:20:00 GMT

This article presents an analysis method for oil price movements that tries to combine different factors such as technology, economics, fear, and temporal relations, which are illustrated by fundamental indicators. Analysis method also allows the visualization of these relations with system dynamics figures. It aims to propose a set of these macro factors based on fundamental indicators to improve future forecasts. The vantage point is more of a practitioner’s reference point, since theory generally follows practice. By grouping the effects in categories, it tries to guide the reader to understand the “nuts and bolts” of oil price dynamics. While illustrating the points, practical examples are associated with the explanations. The ideas presented are categorized in an analytical manner to help the reader find his/her way. At the end of the article, the possible major events that could trigger the next oil crises are listed.

Faraway so Close!: The Effect of Asian Values on Australia’s Interactions with East Asia

Wed, 01 Apr 2015 13:10:00 GMT

Asian values discourse has focused on the Confucian cultural peculiarities of East Asia as the motorforce behind the East Asian “miracle”, which is characterised as significant economic boom, increased welfare, and more fair distribution of income in East/Southeast Asia. These peculiarities have both pragmatic and psychological/intellectual dimensions, which, seemingly, operate independently but actually complement each other. Psychologically, Asian values claim an East Asian intellectual and cultural exclusiveness from the “West” but, pragmatically, they actually encourage commercial relations with non-Asians. Australia’s contemporary relations with East Asia are a clear example of this. A trade-oriented and pragmatic engagement with the region has relegated politico-strategic relations to the background. This research argues that to move beyond trade and increase the influence of a non-Asian power, such as Australia in East Asia, the psychological dimension cannot be ignored.

Innumeracy in Turkey: Misperceptions of an Emerging Immigrant Population

Wed, 01 Apr 2015 13:00:00 GMT

With Turkey’s recent transition from a nation of net emigration to one of net immigration, it becomes important to understand how the country is adapting to an increasing presence of foreigners. The current study contributes to this end with a focus on the knowledge level of ordinary Turkish respondents regarding their immigrant population. Quantitative analysis of the 2013 Transatlantic Trends Survey indicates a high level of immigrant population innumeracy in Turkey, such that the typical citizen overestimates the foreign born population size by up to 20 percentage points on average. This innumeracy is also associated with various attitudes toward immigrants, but in the opposite direction as has been observed in the U.S. and Europe. Misperceptions are more often associated with positive assessments of immigrants, suggesting that while innumeracy exists in Turkey, as of now, it seems to be of little consequence.

İstanbul of the Mind

Wed, 01 Apr 2015 15:57:00 GMT

While traveling through, İstanbul can often prove overwhelming for tourists and locals alike, people often find different strategies to make sense of their experiences. Several foreigners have drawn on a lexicon of tropes and/or images that represent the city as strange and mysterious – the epitome of eastern promise. By doing so they invoke the kind of orientalist metaphors that date as far back as the mid-eighteenth century, when western aristocrats embarking on the Grand Tour became fascinated with the Ottoman Empire. This stance suggests a basic resistance to empathizing with other cultures: although İstanbul might prove fascinating, its charms are best kept at a distance.

Religion as a Conversation Starter Interreligious Dialogue for Peacebuilding in the Balkans

Wed, 01 Apr 2015 16:54:00 GMT

Religions and religious actors have been the subject of several scholarly works published in the last two decades to examine the outburst and dynamics of the inter-communal conflict in the Balkans. This was primarily due to the role of religions in drawing the boundaries of ethno-national identities in Yugoslavia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in particular. Some of these works demonstrated the increasing visibility of religious actors in public realm of the post-Tito era; others have interpreted their role as a part of nationalist political strategies (see, Mojzes, 1994, 1998; Perica, 2002; Powers, 1996; Velikonja, 2003). They have also been analyzed in relation to their increasing role in post-war settings within the broader framework of peacebuilding (see, Goodwin, 2006; Little, 2007; Mojzes, 1998; Perić, 1998; Mojzes, Swidler and Justenhoven (Eds.), 2003; Steele, 1994; 1996, 1998, 2003; USIP, 2003). Related to that second body of research focusing on peacebuilding, cultivation of social capital, that is cooperation, social inclusion and trust, has generally been regarded as a crucial element for sustainable inter-communal relations.

Informal Power in the Greater Middle East: Hidden Geographies

Wed, 01 Apr 2015 17:00:00 GMT

The wave of mass protests that swept through the Arab World in early 2011 highlighted the distinct role of the internet-based media tools and networks. In their book, Egyptian Revolution 2.0: Political Blogging, Civic Engagement, and Citizen Journalism, Mohammad El Nawawy and Sahar Khamis show how the new media have become effective mobilization tools. By focusing on the Egyptian blogosphere, the authors shed light on the role played by political blogs in “paving the road for the Egyptian popular revolution of 2011” (p. 2).

Mobilizing Religion in Middle East Politics: A Comparative Study of Israel and Turkey

Wed, 01 Apr 2015 17:00:00 GMT

In his book Mobilizing Religion in Middle East Politics, Yusuf Sarfati provides one of the few book-length, up to date, comparative studies between modern Turkey and Israel. Unlike what the title suggests, it might be misleading to assume such a comparison would be about Middle East politics in general. Nonetheless, Sarfati’s in-depth study of these two non-Arab countries, both held as “exceptional” or “outliers” in their region, offers findings extending beyond its cases and the region.

Egyptian Revolution 2.0: Political Blogging, Civic Engagement, and Citizen Journalism

Wed, 01 Apr 2015 17:01:00 GMT

Tocqueville in Arabia: Dilemmas in a Democratic Age

Wed, 01 Apr 2015 17:14:00 GMT

Western political philosophy still shies away from including the Muslim world in its scope. Some political philosophers simply disregard Islam because it is not Western (a fate it shares with other traditions in Asia and elsewhere). Other scholars, more sophisticated, maintain that the vocabulary and the problems of Muslim political thought are specific, and thus, Western political philosophy cannot make sense of them. In a globalized world, this essentialist paradigm fails to withstand criticism. In his book, Joshua Mitchell proves Arabia, and other Muslim areas, to be understandable from the perspective of modern Western political philosophy. In particular, the author, perceptively, describes the transformations generated by modernity in the United States and the Arab countries. After the doubts cast by the failure of the Arab spring to promote democracy in Arabia, this book revives the discussion and hope about the prospects of democratization in the Middle East.

Rethinking Security in the Age of Migration: Trust and Emancipation in Europe

Wed, 01 Apr 2015 17:14:00 GMT

In recent years, limited legal channels for migrants seeking protection in Europe, predominantly originating from Africa, has been a compelling problem in view of the exceedingly tragic incidents along the Southern sea borders of the EU. Likewise, the perceived security threat in the EU vis-à-vis irregular migration has been gradually problematized. Rethinking Security in the Age of Migration: Trust and Emancipation in Europe tackles the European security dilemma pertaining to irregular migrants pursuing protection in Europe while being perceived as a threat to security. Bilgiç specifically looks at the case of irregular migrants coming from Sub-Saharan Africa, who are identified as irregular migrants yet in need of protection. The book contributes to the extant literature on the subject matter by essentially examining ‘emancipatory security theory’ and the principle of ‘trust-building’ between receiving communities and irregular migrants. As such, this book is a valuable input to the recent series assembled by Routledge on the global politics of migration, using emancipation theory in the quest for practices that transform perceptions and make both irregular migrants and receiving communities feel ‘secure.’

Turkey, the Jews, and the Holocaust

Wed, 01 Apr 2015 17:14:00 GMT

Before wading in, as an outsider, to the controversial issue of Turkey and the Holocaust, a reminder of what was lost that can never, ever be regained. More important than a people or country’s so-called honor or the selfish need to proclaim moral purity or superiority over others, there are the cries of the victims and their loved ones. No earthly justice, no laws, or apologies, or “proof” of innocence or vows of change will alter that. There are some wounds that never fully heal. Numbers – and we are always inundated by numbers when writing of mass atrocities – fail to convey the horror, even as such accounting must occur. Too many tragedies, too many atrocities, fuelled

International Orders in the Early Modern World: Before the Rise of the West

Wed, 01 Apr 2015 17:14:00 GMT

This book is an in-depth study that investigates the international relations between the western and non-western world while challenging the Eurocentric ideas of modern international relations. Significantly, all authors demonstrate how non-western countries’ international relations are important to understand global history and why Westphalian-oriented international relations are misunderstood in the early modern era. The main idea in this book that contemporary international relations theories found it difficult to stand their fundamental ground on the notion that western countries are so dynamic, as western-centered global dominance is natural and eternal while non-western countries are static and passive that they do not play a leading role on the international stage. By analyzing not only “cross-cultural interactions” before the rise of the west but also various regional international orders in non-western regions, this volume convincingly shows there had been “lopsided,” “unilinear,” and “myopic” views of the international relationship context unlike the dominant IR theory of “cohesive,” “homogenous,” and “evolutionary” views. In this context, this book basically challenges the main ontological assumptions of Eurocentric IR scholars. As Ayla Göl argues, it is time to remove the “iron curtain” of misunderstanding of international relations between the west and non-western countries.

The United States and Great Power Responsibility in International Society: Drones, Rendition and Invasion

Wed, 01 Apr 2015 17:14:00 GMT

The main aim of this book is to evaluate from a normative perspective the foreign policy of the United States (US) and, in particular, US conduct of the “war on terror.” The central research question that the author seeks to answer is whether US behavior is close to the behavior one would expect from a responsible great power. The US has justified and supported the invasion of Iraq, the use of drones for targeted killings, and the extraordinary rendition of terrorist suspects claiming that these actions were necessary for maintaining international order, peace, and stability. The US’ position was that it was within the responsibilities of great powers, such as the US, to preserve this order and stability. According to the author, the above justifications beg the question of whether the US has indeed behaved responsibly.

The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Politics (2 volumes)

Wed, 01 Apr 2015 17:14:00 GMT

To write about the political dimensions of Islam is, indeed, to examine the universal phenomenon of Islam and politics as it happens to be expressed in the modern Muslim world; because the multiple aspects of politics in Islam continue to reveal themselves in more multifaceted ways. Though there would seem to have been little need to have more encyclopedias after the unveiling of the comprehensive six volumes, the Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World (OEMIW) by John. L. Esposito—to which the encyclopedia under review is, but a supplement; the Princeton encyclopedia of Islamic Political Thought by Gerhard Bowering et al.; besides the more recent handbook, the Oxford Handbook of Islam and Politics by John L. Esposito and Emad El-Din Shahin. However, as I have pointed out in the opening lines about the dynamic and complex role of the politics in Islam, particularly in the contemporary Muslim world, need has been felt to offer an in-depth authoritative and comprehensive reference work in separate volumes primarily on the political dimensions of Islam. Furthermore, due to the dynamic changes—the Arab Spring, toppling of autocratic regimes, rise of Islamic parties to power, etc—the Muslim world experiences in recent years, have again reasserted the role of Islam in politics as a main catalyst for such dynamic change, resistance, liberation, and reassertion of identity and governance.