Turkey-Syria relations within the context of neorealism theory: Anatomy of two interventions

Thucydides' work, Peloponnesian War, was one of the first studies that touched on the concept of power in international politics, by expressing the power struggle between Athens and Sparta. Neorealism, called "neo-realism" or "structural realism" in international politics, is accepted as one of the well-founded theories in the history of international politics. The realist view, formed around the concepts of power, anarchy and sharing, as put forward by Thucydides, emerged in the earliest forms of international policy analysis. Indeed, states had to compete for survival and power. As a result, classical realists saw power as an ultimate goal, whereas neorealists saw it as a means of survival and living in security. The main difference between the two theories is that while ensuring the security of states in the neorealist theory, not only other states but also international actors should not be ignored, as in the realist theory. The historical context enables us to interpret the events of the past in the present, rather than simply sharing individual experience with readers. Turkey-Syria relations continued without tension for a while after the Adana Agreement was signed in 1998. With Bashar Assad's coming to power in Syria in 2000, Turkey-Syria relations entered into a normalization process, albeit for a temporary period. The positive atmosphere between the two countries continued until the beginning of the Syrian crisis. Increasing security problems in the region with the onset of the Syrian crisis forced Turkey to take some steps to ensure regional security. In this context, Operations Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch were carried out in the region. The aim of this thesis is to reach more realistic results in international political relations by analyzing Turkey-Syria relations in the context of neorealist theory within the scope of these operations.