Turkey's foreign policy and the critical Istanbul election

This seminar will present new research on the structures and processes of Turkey's foreign policy decision-making. The researchers will discuss Turkey's regional aspirations in the context of Syria, the Black Sea Region, the Mediterranean and the wider Middle East considered both from a military and political outlook and evaluate how Turkey`s strategy and tactical moves is shaping and are shaped by other regional powers.  

We will conclude with an in-depth discussion of the Istanbul election that takes place Sunday June 23. Whatever the outcome, the implication of the election reaches far beyond electing Istanbul’s next mayor. Overarching questions are: what will the result of the election mean for the future of Turkey; the democratic or autocratic development, the future of the Erdogan presidency and the future of the opposition? 

Hasret Dikici Bilgin is an Associate Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of International Relations Science at Istanbul Bilgi University. Her research focuses on political institutions (specifically pro-Islamist parties), elections in the Middle East and political elites in Europe.  Broad research portfolio on domestic politics in Turkey on issues such as elections and political party positions and policies  

Metin Gurcan (Episteme, Turkey) is a political scientist and former soldier served with the Turkish Special Forces. His research focuses on perceptions about the changing nature of warfare, terrorism, Turkish civil-military relations, military history and Turkish foreign policy. Gurcan is a columnist for Al Monitor writing about security related issues  

Mustafa Aydin is Professor of International Relations at the Kadir Has University and the President of the International Relations Council of Turkey. His research focuses on international politics, foreign policy analysis, geopolitics, Turkey-Russia relations, security issues related to Central Asia, Caucasus, the Black Sea and the Middle East, as well as Turkish foreign and security policies. 

Siri Neset is a political psychologist and focuses on rhetoric, perceptions, foreign policy decision-making, identity, and the links between political ideology, power and violence. She has directed policy oriented projects on Turkey, Iran and U.S. relations with the Middle East and North Africa, as well as having established and led several dialogue projects. 

Arne Strand is the Deputy Director for the U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre at CMI. Strand is a Political Scientist with research focus on aid coordination, forced migration and reintegration, peace-building and security sector reform and humanitarian and development assistance. Strand has been team leader of several evaluations and research programmes in and on Afghanistan. He has also extensive management experience from NGOs and research institutes. 

Ståle Knudsen is Head of Department and Professor at the Department of Social Anthropology at the University of Bergen. He has done extensive research on the Turkish Black Sea region, covering issues such as fisheries, knowledge, technology, science, consumption, state policies, poverty and common pool resources.   

Read the new reports on this topic: Turkey's international relations and Turkish foreign policy: structures and decision-making processes

All are welcome!