AKP government's policies towards the Alawite problem during Turkey's EU accession process

Since the initiation of Turkey's European Union (EU) accession process, Justice and Development (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi—AKP) government as part of its attempt to realize the conditions of Copenhagen criteria, started a series of democratization reforms through constitutional amendments and harmonization packages. The Alawite question that should be resolved in the framework of human rights and protection of minorities as a condition of Copenhagen Criteria was also included in these reforms. However, despite AKP's efforts to organize Alawite Workshops and make minor changes concerning the religious education, as already stated in the Progress Reports of the EU, the government did not achieve much progress particularly in the issues of recognition of Alawites, religious education and the legal status of the Cemevis. This thesis will attempt to find an answer to the question of why the Alawite problem was not resolved despite AKP's attempts to settle the question. To find an answer to this question, the thesis will refer to social constructivism as one of the approaches of International Relations and to rational choice theory as another theory of both International Relations and Comparative Politics. social constructivism analyzes AKP's policies towards the Alawite question by referring to the transformation of its identity from a Democrat Conservative one to a Sunni Conservative character. Rational choice theory analyzes the problem by referring to the rational choices and cost and benefits analyses made by the AKP government to maximize its votes in the elections. In sum, this thesis will argue that the reasons for the AKP government's lack of progress concerning Alawite question can be explained through its Sunni Conservative identity and its accountability to its Sunni constituency. Keywords: Turkish-EU Relations, Alawite Question, Justice and Development Party, Social Constructivism and Rational Choice Theory