Conference Program

Populism, which can develop with right-wing extremist elements such as euroscepticism, xenophobia, nativism through basic dichotomies such as elites vs. people, native vs. non-native constructs both domestic and foreign policy as a constitutive political actor. The AKP (Justice and Development Party) government in Turkey is an example of this situation. In the first years of the AKP government in Turkey, pluralist populist policies and politics based on EU integration were preferred, but since the 2010s there has been a process that has turned into neo-liberal and authoritarian populist policies. Authoritarianism in Turkey develops along with populism. With the open door policy implemented by Akp as a foreign policy tool, Turkey has become the country hosting the highest number of refugees in the World. As an external factor, migration policies have also been influential in shaping domestic politics in Turkey and especially in the rise of nationalism. In the parliamentary and presidential elections held on 14-28 May 2023, it was observed that nationalism was on an upward trend. Far-right populist parties and movements in the opposition, such as the Victory Party, are influential in shaping public opinion. The main argument of this study is that the refugee and migrant crisis in Turkey, which the AKP used as a bargaining tool with Europe in the foreign policy-making process, is a result of the concept of domestic politics constructed with populist elements. This study analyzes the rise of anti-refugee and anti-immigrant rhetoric in Turkey and the impact of populist discourses on foreign policy and international relations.

The aim of this study is to analyse how the new type of populist discourse is constructed by Türkiye and Russia not only in domestic politics, but more importantly – in their foreign policy where they extend those respective discourses to a wider audience – the international community of states. We explore how both sacralization of politics and resort to a moralistic populist foreign policy and which allies, if any, they envision in this journey.

The main problematic of the paper is that for the past fifteen years, populism normally used for domestic consumption extended its reach into foreign policy, while the two dimensions became mutually reinforcing. Even though from a more traditional vantage point, populism, even if projected externally, into foreign policy, is meant to first and foremost score political points at home, it now demonstrates potential to emerge as a phenomenon of politics at the international level.

Therefore, methodologically the study aims to uncover similarities in the input into the international discourse brought by the trend to sacralization of foreign policy in Russia and Türkiye. Chronologically both cases can be traced from the year 2012 until present. For that, the first section of the paper will discuss sacralization of politics, moralism and populist politics. Later, we will examine sacralization in the foreign policies of Russia and Türkiye through the ideological alliances between the secular state authorities and religious authorities, in case of Russia – the Russian Orthodox Church and in the case of Türkiye – powerful conservative sects within Islam.

Turkish foreign policy toward Israel and Palestine can be analyzed from the constructivist school of thought in international relations as well as populism as it is related to Islamism in domestic politics.

Turkey’s policy toward Israel and Palestine can be explained from a constructivism framework as Islamism is the key variable in the explication of its policies especially regarding Palestine. While Turkey under the Justice and Development Party (2002-) tried to keep the channels of communication and diplomacy open with Israel, the party’s identification with Hamas has priority over its relations with the PLO as well as Israel. Therefore, Turkish liaisons with Palestine can be perceived from an Islamist/Ottomanist framework.

The issue of Palestine serves as a tool of mobilization for Islamists and conservatives alike representing the "authentic" ideas of the common people. Therefore, as an instrumental tool, Palestine helps consolidate solidarity for the followers of the JDP and further contributes to the Islamization of the populace as part of its policy.

In conclusion,Turkish foreign policy behavior can be comprehended from a theoretical background based on empirical analysis. There is mutual interaction between state interests and the Islamist identity of JDP, therefore taking both variables into account would offer a sophisticated understanding of Turkish foreign policy.

How do populist governments approach regional integration? Existing research shows that the discursive backlash against international organizations and their bureaucracies is central to contemporary populist leaderships, which increasingly project the ideational antagonism between "the people" and "the elites" onto the international stage, with a special emphasis on the regional level. However, it remains unclear the different ways in which these populists deal with regionalism once they control foreign policy apparatuses and whether regional integration processes have ultimately changed as populists have seized power simultaneously in many countries. This study figures out the multiple strategies of legitimation and delegitimation used by contemporary populist governments towards regionalist projects in Europe and Latin America, while identifying differences and similarities in the efforts devoted in promoting these projects. By combining both variables, this study proposes four different scenarios of “populist regionalism”: a-regionalism, anti-regionalism, pro-regionalism, and para-regionalism. The findings of this study elucidate common discursive, symbolic, and performative elements in the strategic formulation and implementation of regional (dis-)integration processes by populist governments, contributing to the emerging scholarly engagement with the transnational drivers, patterns, and effects of populism in Europe, Latin America, and beyond.