Turkey’s Naval Activism: Maritime Geopolitics and the Blue Homeland Concept (Palgrave Studies in Maritime Politics and Security)

This book explores the significance of Turkey’s Blue Homeland ( Mavi Vatan ) naval concept, which defines its maritime rights and interests in the surrounding seas – Aegean Sea, Black Sea, and the Mediterranean. The concept has a powerful socialized definition and a popular appeal across the political spectrum in Turkey with important implications for security in the wider Middle East. The book investigates the impact of geopolitics and domestic-political factors on the concept and uncovers motivations behind its trajectory since 2004 with a particular focus on the last several years, the period when Turkey’s naval assertiveness reached its peak following the failed coup attempt in 2016. Based on in-depth interviews with diplomats, naval officers, academics, and researchers in the field, the book takes the reader through a journey on how the Turkish government has reinforced an activist policy since 2016 due to pressures of regional insecurity, domestic coalition logrolling, and nationalist sentiment. Preface Contents About the Author Abbreviations List of Figures 1 Introduction The Approach: A Neoclassical Realist Paradigm The General Argument Outline References Part I Maritime Geopolitics and Turkey’s Interest in Naval Development 2 Global Maritime Powers and Turkey’s Blue Homeland Concept Development of Global Naval Powers Turkish Foreign Policy, Maritime Geopolitics, and Naval Modernization Strategic Perspectives on Turkish Maritime Policy Critical Arguments About Blue Homeland’s Emergence and Influence Regional Geopolitics and Views of Turkey’s Blue Homeland Concept References 3 The Modern Origins of Turkey’s Blue Homeland Concept Fall of the Ottoman Empire and Atatürk’s Maritime Policy in Early Republican Years Atatürk’s Interest in the Maritime Domain and Kemalist Strategic Culture The Montreux Convention in 1936 and Atatürk’s Multilateral Diplomacy Turkish Maritime Policy During the Early Cold War Years Turkish Foreign Policy Toward Cyprus and Greece in the 1960s and 1970s References 4 Turkey’s Maritime Crises and Naval Development Law of the Sea and Turkey’s Maritime Disputes Since the 1970s 1973, 1987 Aegean Crises and First Signs of Blue Homeland Turkey’s Two-and-a-Half Wars Doctrine After the End of the Cold War Kardak/Imia Crisis in 1996 and the Issue of “Grey Zones” in the Aegean Sea Kemalist Strategic Culture and the “Towards Blue Waters” Naval Strategy 9/11 Terrorist Attacks, The New World Order, and Turkey’s Strategic Re-Orientation References Part II Evolution of Turkey’s Naval Activism 5 Liberalization and the EU Journey: 2004–2010 De-securitization and Liberalism in Turkish Strategic Culture during the AKP Era Rapprochement with Greece and the RoC in the Context of Turkey-EU Relations Maritime Zones around Cyprus, the Seville Map, and the Emergence of Blue Homeland Trade Expansion, Economic Power, and Naval Strategy under the AKP’s First Decade The “One Minute” Incident, the “Mavİ Marmara” Incident, and the Rift with Israel Power Struggle in Domestic Politics and First Cracks between the AKP and Gülenists References 6 Identity Projection and Axis Shift Toward the Middle East: 2010–2016 Arab Uprisings and the AKP’s Identity Projection in Crisis Energy Geopolitics, Naval Policy, and Multilateral Diplomacy in the Mediterranean The Eastern Mediterranean Energy Partnership and Defense Alliance Against Turkey Domestic Power Struggle and the AKP’s Fallout with Gülenists The AKP-MHP Coalition and the Paradigm Shift Toward Securitization References 7 Re-Securitization and the Emergence of Blue Homeland: 2016–2020 US-Turkey Relations and Turkey’s Post-Coup Foreign Policy Re-Orientation State-Society Relations and the Logrolled Domestic Coalition in the Post-Coup Period Institutional Arrangements, Strategic Culture, and the Defense Industry Turkey’s Naval Strategy and Blue Homeland’s Ascendence After 2016 Regional Threat Perception and Defense Cooperation References Part III De-Prioritization of Naval Activism in Turkish Foreign Policy 8 Foreign Policy Realignment and Softening of the “Blue Homeland” Narrative: 2020–2023 References 9 Conclusion: A Final Word on Turkish Foreign Policy and the Blue Homeland Concept Appendix Formal Interview Participants Informal Interview Participants Index