From Geopolitical Competition to Strategic Partnership: Turkey and Russia after The Cold War/Jeopolitik Rekabetten Stratejik Ortakliga: Soguk Savas Sonrasi Turkiye - Rusya Iliskileri

• Published in: Uluslararasi Iliskiler / International Relations 2019-09, Vol.16 (63), p.COVF
• Main Author: Balta, Evren
• Format: Article
• Language: Turkish
• Subjects: Alliances (Government relations); Analysis; Geopolitics; History; Russian foreign relations; Turkish foreign relations
• ISSN: 1304-7310; 1304-7310
• DOI: 10.33458/uidergisi.621309

This article examines different analytical perspectives on Turkish-Russian relations and provides a conceptual history of developing connections between Turkey and Russia since the end of the Cold War. It first reviews evolving political relations, including military cooperation, and then focuses on economic relations, including energy cooperation. Finally, it discusses the socio-cultural aspects of bilateral relations, focusing on the movement of people. It shows how conflicting geopolitical interests have overshadowed the increasing economic cooperation and cultural exchange that had marked the previous two decades of bilateral relations. Although Turkey and Russia have competing regional interests, their dissatisfaction with and resentment of Western policies is one of the major reasons for their reluctant geopolitical cooperation. This article emphasizes the need for a multi-causal and analytically eclectic approach to analyzing Turkish-Russian relations that selectively recombines analytic components of causal mechanisms in competing research traditions. Keywords: Turkey, Russia, Turkish-Russian Relations, Economic Cooperation, Military Competition Bu makale Turkiye-Rusya iliskilerinde farkli analitik perspektiferi incelemekte ve Soguk Savas'in sona ermesinden bu yana Turkiye - Rusya arasindaki iliskileri farkli boyutlariyla degerlendirmektedir. Makalede oncelikli olarak askeri isbirligi de dahil olmak uzere gelismekte olan siyasi iliskilere odaklanilmakta ve ardindan enerji isbirligini icerecek bicimde ekonomik iliskilerin gelisimi ele alinmaktadir. Makale ayni zamanda ikili iliskilerin sosyokulturel yonlerini degerlendirerek ozel olarak insan hareketlerine odaklanmaktadir. Iki ulkenin Soguk Savas sonrasi iliskilerini belirleyen ekonomik isbirligi ve kulturel mubadele dinamikleri pek cok ornekte farkli ulusal cikar tanimlarina dayanan jeopolitik rekabetin golgesinde kalmistir. Iki ulkenin de Batili ulkelerin politikalarindan duydugu rahatsizlik, catisan bolgesel cikarlara ve jeopolitik rekabete ragmen iki ulke arasindaki guclenen askeri/siyasi isbirliginin ana nedenlerinden biri olarak gorulmektedir. Makalede, nihai olarak, farkli arastirma geleneklerinin Turkiye-Rusya iliskilerini aciklamak icin one cikardigi nedensel mekanizmalari secici ve coklu olarak birlestiren analitik acidan eklektik bir yaklasimin geregine vurgu yapilmaktadir. Anahtar Kelimeler: Turkiye, Rusya, Turkiye-Rusya Iliskileri, Ekonomik Isbirligi, Askeri Rekabet