Influence of the internal threat on foreign policy: cases of Turkey and İran during arab spring times

The political stand adopted by Turkey and Iran, two rooted countries in the Middle East, in the face of the Arab Spring is meant by this paper to be explained basing on the omnibalancing theory, the sub-branch of realist paradigm. The main cause for this paper to base on the omnibalancing theory is the fact that the mainstream international relations theories focus on the inter-relations of states, while the omnibalancing theory includes the developments in domestic policy into the analysis of foreign policy. The fact that these two regional powers in the Middle East are heterogeneous in ethnical and denominational aspects and cannot form a common identity inside, requires a look from within while examining the foreign policies of these two countries. An analysis of the developments that were experienced in Iran and Turkey during the recent years will lay bare the existence of a polarization / settling of account between reformists and conservatives in Iran and between conservatives and Kemalists in Turkey. Before the beginning of the Arab Spring, the long-standing political dispute between reformists and conservatives hit the peak in 2009 and evolved into massive demonstrations against the regime in Iran. The protests were brutally suppressed by the Iranian regime forces, yet it made itself felt in the Iranian politics during the course of the Arab Spring. The effect of the mentioned tension in Iranian domestic policy upon the construction process of its foreign policy was observed during this period. The reformist/conservative polarization and Iran's internal threat perceptions were indeed proven to have influence over foreign policy. Before the Arab Spring, the government in Turkey was pursuing major policies such as attempting to come up with a solution to the Kurdish question through dialogue and downgrading the military tutelage. As a result of reduced military tutelage and democratic steps taken in the scope of accession to the European Union, the government formed alliances with the liberals, and with the Kurds based on the project to resolve the Kurdish question through dialogue, and also with the conservatives in the framework of attempts to deal with the issues related to religious rights and freedoms. These alliances have all failed in the course of time. Resorting to searches for a new alliance in this scope, the AK (Justice and Development) Party government's change of its political attitude, has been the most significant factor to determine the Turkish foreign policy during the Arab Spring. This paper examines the influence the disagreements in Turkey and Iran had on their foreign policies during the Arab Spring process, and concludes that domestic political processes have an effect upon foreign policy.