AK Party Years in Türkiye: Domestic and Foreign Policy

The AK Party years in Türkiye have been truly transformational. When the party was established in 2001, the country was going through major economic and political crises. Today, under the leadership of President Erdoğan, Türkiye is a middle power with serious global ambitions. In the nearly two decades since its inception, the AK Party has been confronted with major domestic and foreign policy challenges. At home, major improvements in religious freedoms, ethnic relations, and cultural rights have been realized. Abroad, Türkiye has emerged as a major power to reckon with in the region while playing a role as a critical partner in global issues. From tackling the Kurdish issue to daring to take on authoritarian regimes during the Arab Spring, the AK Party under President Erdoğan’s leadership has already left the most significant mark on Turkish modern political history.

This volume addresses the domestic and foreign policy transformations in Türkiye that took place over the course of the past two decades under the AK Party.

Table of Contents

– Transformation of Türkiye during the Rule of the AK Party by Kılıç Buğra Kanat and Burhanettin Duran

– The AK Party’s Ideological Transformation by Burhanettin Duran

– Turkish Political System: The AK Party’s Reform Agenda by Nebi Miş

– The AK Party’s Kurdish Policy by Hüseyin Alptekin and Talha Köse

– Public Administration Reform Trajectories in Türkiye: An Evaluation of the AK Party Era by Zahid Sobacı and Özer Köseoğlu

– The July 15 Coup Attempt’s Effects on Turkish Politics by Nebi Miş

– Media’s Role in the Failure of the July 15 Coup Attempt by Serdar Karagöz and Pınar Kandemir

– Evolution of Public Perceptions of Coups in Türkiye by Kılıç Buğra Kanat

– Neither Realist Nor Liberal: Türkiye’s Changing Foreign Policy since the End of the Cold War by Veysel Kurt

– Turkish-American Relations during the AK Party Governments by Kılıç Buğra Kanat

– Changing Dynamics of Türkiye’s Military Activism in the AK Party Era by Murat Yeşiltaş and Sibel Düz

– Türkiye’s Humanitarian Foreign Policy under the AK Party by Kadir Üstün