Space law, global security and space agencies: The case of Türkiye

This thesis basically answers the question, "What kind of a path should Türkiye follow through the Turkish Space Agency (TUA) in the context of international law, security and organization in order to develop in space studies?". In the thesis, international law, security and organizations are the issues that examined in the context of space studies to answer this question. Because space studies are multidimensional, it is argued in the thesis that they should be carried out in a holistic manner. In the thesis, a theoretical framework is created through the ideas of Thomas Hobbes, Hugo Grotius and Immanuel Kant while making explanations on space studies. This theoretical framework is pragmatic liberalist approach that offers a synthesis between different ideas. Comparative method is used in the thesis in order to determine Türkiye's status in space studies. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as the space organization of United States of America (USA), which has made significant progress in space studies, the European Space Agency (ESA) as a regional organization and Türkiye's space activities are examined in this comparison. As a result, it is determined that Türkiye has been lagging behind in space activities. Therefore, in this thesis, suggestions are made for Turkey's development in space activities. In summary, it is understood that Türkiye needs to exhibit a holistic policy within pragmatic liberal framework in order to develop in space activities. It is concluded that Türkiye can be a producing and influencing country in space studies, if Türkiye implements this policy.