The role of strategic culture in Turkey-Russia relations: An assessment in the context of the Syrian Crisis and the Second Karabakh War

This thesis examines the influence of strategic culture on the foreign policy orientations of Turkey and Russia within the framework of the Syrian Crisis and the Second Karabakh War. Both crises represent recent and significant foreign policy cases in which Turkey and Russia were directly involved, featuring simultaneous dynamics of conflict and cooperation. The study aims to analyze how diplomatic and strategic interaction developed between the two countries during these crises, what kinds of foreign policy behaviors emerged from these interactions, and how strategic culture functioned in the background of these behaviors. Strategic culture is considered not merely as a historical legacy, but as a mental framework that shapes how decision-makers perceive the world, define threats, and choose policy tools. In this context, the thesis examines the discursive, diplomatic, and military patterns of behavior exhibited by Turkey and Russia during these high-intensity foreign policy episodes, and investigates the extent to which strategic cultural codes influenced these patterns. A qualitative method, specifically case study analysis, was employed; interaction processes were evaluated through official statements, forms of intervention, and the positions taken in crisis management. As a result, the thesis reveals how strategic culture influenced foreign policy interactions between Turkey and Russia during the Syrian and Karabakh crises. The study demonstrates that historically shaped security perceptions, threat definitions, and policy reflexes played a decisive role in the actors' responses to these crises. Accordingly, it concludes that strategic culture is a significant factor not only in domestic decision-making processes but also in shaping bilateral relations and foreign policy behavior between states.