Foreign Policy Management in Turkey

Abstract

The article analyzes the system of foreign policy management in Turkey under the presidential form of government established following the constitutional reforms of 2017. The author emphasizes that the transition to a centralized model has led to the formation of a hybrid decision-making structure that combines formal institutions (the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Security Council, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, and the National Intelligence Organization [MİT]) with informal networks (presidential advisors, business associations, and religious foundations). The aim of the study is to systematize knowledge about the actors and mechanisms shaping Turkey’s foreign policy course. The methodological foundation of the research comprises institutional and systemic-structural analysis, as well as examination of the legal and regulatory framework. The study reveals that the current foreign policy management system exhibits symbiotic features of both Eastern and Western approaches to conducting foreign policy: alongside a centralized «core» of decision-making characteristic of Eastern models, institutional formations typical of Western systems also persist. Ultimately, this combination results in a degree of unpredictability and complicates the forecasting of foreign policy steps taken by the Republic of Turkey.