The Dominance of National Security in Foreign Policy: Militarism in Israel’s East Mediterranean Policy

Year 2021, Volume: 8 Issue: 1, 119 - 157, 30.06.2021

Ceyhun Çiçekçi

https://doi.org/10.26513/tocd.818032

Cited By: 3

Abstract

Throughout the last decade, Israel changed its political path in the East Mediterranean and allied with Greece and the Greek Administration of Southern Cyprus at the expense of losing Turkey’s support. This alliance is generally explained by gas reserves which were explored in 2009- 2011 across the region. However, the troika has in fact been in a military alliance contradicting politically useful and “innocent” explanations. Accordingly, energy diplomacy has been used to cover the essence of this relationship. This study firstly analyzes foreign policy- national security relations in a conceptual manner. Then, some selective cases of Israeli foreign policy will be examined in order to test the main argument of this study that national security dominates Israeli foreign policy. Lastly, this study aims at debunking the military alliance among the troika by pointing out the military events that took place until the signing of the EastMed Pipeline Deal in January 2020. In this way, the study will surely unearth the real nature of such a military alliance and that this alliance is not a civilian enterprise.

Keywords

Foreign Policy, National Security, Militarism, Israel, East Mediterranean

Dış Politikada Ulusal Güvenliğin Tahakkümü: İsrail’in Doğu Akdeniz Politikasında Militarizm

Abstract

Son on yıl boyunca İsrail, Türkiye’nin desteğini kaybetmek pahasına, Doğu Akdeniz’de politik güzergahını değiştirerek Yunanistan ve Güney Kıbrıs Rum Yönetimi’yle müttefik oldu. Söz konusu ittifak, genel olarak, 2009-2011 yıllarında bölgede keşfedilen gaz rezervleriyle açıklandı. Fakat troyka, politik olarak kullanışlı ve masum açıklamaların aksine, gerçek bir askeri ittifakın parçası oldular. Buna göre, enerji diplomasisi, ilişkilerinin özünü örtebilmek için kullanıldı. Bu çalışma öncelikle dış politika-ulusal güvenlik ilişkilerini kavramsal bir anlayışla analiz etmektedir. Sonrasında, İsrail’in dışişlerindeki ulusal güvenlik tahakkümüne dair temel argümanını test edebilmek için İsrail dış politikasının ayırt edici vakaları incelenmektedir. Çalışma, son olarak Ocak 2020’de imzalanan Doğu Akdeniz Boru Hattı anlaşmasına kadar geçen süredeki askeri gelişmeleri değerlendirerek, troykanın askeri ittifakını ortaya koymayı hedeflemektedir. Çalışmanın izlediği bu metodoloji, kuşkusuz bahsi geçen askeri ittifakın gerçek yüzünü ve sivil bir girişim olmadığını gösterecektir.

Keywords

Dış Politika, Ulusal Güvenlik, Militarizm, İsrail, Doğu Akdeniz

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