Redefining the self: Turkey's Syria policy through ontological security dynamics

Akar E., Gurpinar B., Demirkol K.

TURKISH STUDIES, vol.27, no.2, pp.345-375, 2026 (SSCI, Scopus) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 27 Issue: 2
  • Publication Date: 2026
  • Doi Number: 10.1080/14683849.2025.2572694
  • Journal Name: TURKISH STUDIES
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, IBZ Online, Historical Abstracts, Index Islamicus, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, Political Science Complete, Public Affairs Index, Social Sciences Abstracts
  • Page Numbers: pp.345-375
  • Keywords: neo-Ottomanism, ontological security, Syrian Civil War, Turkish foreign policy
  • Istanbul University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Situated at the intersection of identity and security studies, this article analyzes Turkey's Syria policy through Ontological Security Theory (OST). It contends that identity construction, psychological anxieties, and self-narratives-beyond material or strategic interests - fundamentally shaped Ankara's foreign policy during the Syrian Civil War. Employing a tripartite framework - reflexive (identity formation), relational (diplomatic interaction), and systemic (multipolar positioning) - the study demonstrates that Turkey's behavior constituted an ontological security-seeking endeavor. It reveals how foreign policy became a vehicle for managing existential uncertainty, safeguarding regime legitimacy, and performing national identity amid regional upheaval and the erosion of traditional security architectures.