Examination of the Brexit process in the perspective of realism

Britain's relations with the European Union first started in 1973.The United Kingdom, which took an active role in the establishment of the European Union, was not fully involved in the process and was always distant. The UK has always been focused on preserving its national identity. It has become a member of the European Union mostly due to economic interests, and although it is a member with flour, a line that always maintains its distance has also been found. This distant attitude of the United Kingdom has led to some crises over time and eventually brought the United Kingdom to the stage of deciding to leave the EU. The turning point for the relations between the United Kingdom and the European Union has been with Brexit, and some important issues have come to the fore in the context. Among these, the migrant crisis and Euroscepticism were the most discussed topics of the Brexit process. As a result of the developments experienced, the uncertain and tense environment that started with the decision of the referendum held on June 23, 2016, came to an end with the exit process that ended on January 31, 2020. In this context, the aim of this thesis is the process leading to Brexit; is to examine the historical basis of bilateral relations and multiple relations within the framework of the realist understanding, which has dominated international relations for many years, with its causes and consequences. Accordingly, in the study, first of all, a detailed literature review was made on the concepts of realism and realism, its historical process, the changes and transformations it went through and what its arguments were. In the second part, which continues, the European Union is examined in its historical process, and issues such as European Integration and the future of the European Union are emphasized. In the third part, which is the last part, the Brexit process before and after the referendum, its reflections and possible scenarios are emphasized and finally the Brexit process is tried to be interpreted from the perspective of realism. The results show that realism, which puts a serious emphasis on the balance of power and power in the international arena, was considered very important for the parties in the Brexit process and finalized the Brexit process for the sovereign power of the United Kingdom and to create an autonomous space for action. Of course, although this decision has different effects for all parties, it is possible to mention that it has striking results mostly for the EU and the United Kingdom. Throughout the research, it has been tried to focus on all these issues in detail. While trying to focus on all these issues in detail throughout the research, document analysis, one of the qualitative research methods, was used. Keywors: Brexit, Britain, European Integration, European Skepticism, Realism