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  Turkish Think Tanks, The AKP’S Policy Network From Neo-Gramscian and Neo-Ottoman Angles

  Kubilay Arin

  This paper will show how the AKP’s utilization of political Islam together with framing of neo-Ottomanism as a prerequisite for its opening to the Muslim world as the former Ottoman lands in the Balkans, the Caucasus and the Arab Peninsula exacerbate tensions with it western partners. At the domestic politics level, the Islamic-conservative Justice and Development Party is generally accepted more libertarian than its predecessor the Islamist Welfare party with a platform based on strong national security, free markets and social and fiscal conservatism. The Islamists and the libertarians are often competing for influence in the AKP. The study counters the neo-Gramscian theory by illuminating how policy-planning organisations mobilized this rivalry for influence within the party which reshaped the foreign policy agendas in a time of political transformation and regional crises after the Arab Spring. In addition to preparing papers drawing on this postdoctoral work, a concrete goal was to convert my research in the US into a book entitled "Think Tanks, Game-Changers in Turkish Foreign Policy?"

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  Jeopolitik Teoriler Acisindan Kibris'in Onemi (The Importance Of Cyprus Island in Geopolitical Theories)

  Soylap Tamcelik

  In this study, Cyprus has been evaluated according to geopolitical strategies as land, sea and air power and rimland theory. By this starting point, the main purpose of this study is to identify the importance of Cyprus according to these strategies. Mainly the geopolitical theories consist of four parts including land, sea, air and rimland theories. The discussion about which one of the air, land and sea powers are the main and which one is the sub power have not reach a definite conclusion yet. For this uncertainty, as an objective presentation a chronological line has been followed. According to this line, the views and thoughts will be considered respectively sea, land and rimland and finally air sovereignty or powers.

  The paper is in Turkish. A summary of the work in English starts on page 30.

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  Kibrisli Rumlarin Turk Kurtulus Savasi'ndaki Etkinlikleri (Greek Cypriots Turkish Liberation Events in War)

  Engin Berber

  In this paper, Dr. Engin Berber discusses the history and politics of Cyprus.

  The text of the paper is in Turkish.

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  The Mutual Existence of Nascent and Senescent World Orders

  Burak Akcaper

  In this essay I will address the issue of change in the international system which the scholars of International Relations have grappled with however inadequately. Accordingly, I will argue that this deficiency stems in no small part from the frequent mutual distance between scholars and practitioners of international affairs. I will, therefore, try to bridge this gap. Ultimately this essay will:

  a) Suggest a model (mutual existence of nascent and senescent orders) equipped with a number of hypotheses (laws) of systemic change in the international ―order;

  b) Provide a baseline for bringing scholarly and practitioners‘ perspectives closer together, including by identifying the crossover or mediating activities of the think-tanks and official Policy Planning units.