Leadership Change: Özal Leadership and Restructuring in Turkish Foreign Policy

Abstract

This article analyzes the leadership change in Turkey, from the Kemalist leadership to the Özal leadership, and its impact on restructuring of Turkish foreign policy, its alliance pattern in particular. After discussing the leadership change, the article evaluates foreign policy orientation of both leaderships in the following two sections. The article argues that the Özal leadership restructured Turkey’s foreign policy from being passive, unidimensional and dependent into being active, multidimensional and interdependent. While the Kemalist leadership focused mainly on internal and transnational threats, the Özal leadership has a more balanced policy between internal and external factors. However, both leaderships followed strategies that would keep them in power first and then would protect national interests. 

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