Conference Program

In navigating the complex interplay between state practices and norms, I examine the power/law nexus within the national and international order, focusing on the spatial aspects of state violence. Through an examination of postcolonial subjectivities, I draw comparisons between former colonial empires and security practices in Turkey—a country that was neither colonized nor a colonizer in the conventional sense—after the collapse of the resolution process with the PKK in 2015 (involving military actions in southeastern Turkey and cross-border military interventions in Syria). I observe a pattern where the practices of former colonial powers have international and domestic aspects, originally stemming from colonial power relations. While undergoing a comparable transformation but in a reversed manner, Turkey has practices originating from the domestic sphere, primarily focused on protecting territorial integrity from imperial powers. In contrast to liberal constitutionalists (intra-state) and theorists of the liberal international order (inter-state) advocating for rule-based orders, the observed practice indicates that violence is inherent to and often a constituent of state rule and its domestic and international actions. Referring to Collingwood's (1939) assertion that there are four reasons we do things—caprice, utility, right, and duty—I extend this argument to state behaviours. Drawing on the argument that "[p]ower cannot be dissolved in law" (Neumann, 1950), I argue that law is instrumental in legitimising actions carried out based on caprice and utility as if they are based on right and duty in specific territories.

The ongoing Russian aggression in Ukraine is not merely a regional conflict but a catalyst in the acceleration towards a multipolar world, characterized by both material shifts and ideational transformations. In this complex milieu, the rising normative diversity and the intensifying competition over strategic connectivity have augmented the significance of middle powers. These states, including Turkey, are increasingly exercising their agency to navigate between the interests of great powers with heightened strategic autonomy.

Turkey’s role in the Russian war in Ukraine is emblematic of its swinging position as a non-traditional middle power within the transatlantic alliance. In light of the renewed academic interest on the agency of middle powers in the changing world order, this study employs role theory to examine Turkey’s national role conception and strategic positioning towards the LIO. The investigation is anchored in a critical discourse analysis of official narratives, policy decisionsand foreign policy documents spanning from February 2022 to February 2024 encompassing Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Turkey's May 2023 presidential elections, and the onset of Israel’s conflict in Gaza in October 2022. Insights from elite interviews and media engagements will also be used to unravel the interpretations of Turkish foreign policy elites regarding the LIO. This comprehensive approach will elucidate Turkey’s multifaceted foreign policy behavior and its implications for the international order, offering a deeper understanding of middle powers’ strategies in the era of global power transitions and normative plurality.