Security studies in post-Cold War international relations and perception of NATO in Turkish academia

In the aftermath of the Second World War as the states tried to get out of the destructive effects of war, the world found itself within the bipolar system with the changes in the international system. As the Soviet threat began to increase in the post-war period, the US and European forces stressed the need for a joint defense organization, resulting in the formation of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). While the organization still exists in the 21st century, its mission and responsibilities have been increasingly questioned since the post-Cold War period. The main purpose of this study is to examine how NATO was perceived by Turkish security scholars within the framework of theories of International Relations in the post-Cold War period. The study found out that traditional theories have been used more than critical approaches by Turkish academics. Given the importance of the theoretical pluralism of the discipline and the originality of the subjects, it might be argued that critical theories should be used more frequently in the context of today's new security studies. Keywords: NATO, Security Studies, Content Analysis