The impact of military on Turkish foreign policy during the European Union accession process: Continuity and change

European Union (EU) conditionality led to the promotion of soft power in Turkish foreign policy between 2002 and 2007, while civilian control in civil-military relations was achieved to a large extent as a result of the constitutional amendments and harmonization packages passed to align Turkey with the EU's political criteria. This thesis attempts to answer the question of why the use of hard (military) power has increased again alongside soft power in Turkish foreign policy since 2007, despite previous progress in reducing the use of hard power and the establishment of greater civilian control in the early 2000s. In other words, the study attempts to explain why Turkey and the EU do not perceive concepts of military security and threat perception in the same way. In an attempt to do this, the thesis analyzes, through Realism and under Realism through Copenhagen and Paris Schools, the differences between Turkey's insecure environment and the EU's security conceptualization, including the security problems challenging its member states. The differences between the security perceptions of Turkey and the EU are analyzed through the Copenhagen School by concentrating on 'perception and discourse' analysis, and through the Paris School by focusing on 'contextual' analysis. The study reaches the following conclusions: Turkey's security culture, which is dependent on realist policies, compels the military to maintain its power as a foreign policy instrument and promotes the use of military approaches to international crises in its neighbourhood. Although EU conditionality has led to the prioritization of civilian actors and instruments concerned with foreign policy, problems remain concerning the sustainability of their enhanced role. The thesis concludes that the realist policies followed by civilian actors in Turkish foreign policy are supported by both military and civilian instruments and mechanisms.