Contesting state identity and foreign policy: German anti-militarism in shades of red and green

This study is an inquiry into the controversial yet widely shared view of Germany\u27s anti-militarism and its implications for German foreign policy. By focusing on two pacifist political parties, the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Green Party, it sets out to examine German inter- and intra-party debates during three foreign policy episodes--the Bosnian War, Kosovo War and the Macedonian Conflict--to see (a) how political parties, particularly ideologically similar ones, contest the value of pacifism, (b) how different representations of German identity shape foreign policy preferences, (c) to what extent identity discourses are stable over time. This study delineates the key terms and concepts of German foreign policy debates over the conflicts in the Balkans and German foreign military deployment. It also reveals the borders of what is tolerated, even discursively and symbolically. What emerges is a more complex image of German politics than that portrayed by a literature that expects either an abrupt change or continuity in post-unification period. Furthermore, it shows that German anti-militarism continues to establish the boundaries of possible foreign policy despite being highly contested. I find the concept has different connotations for different political groups in German domestic politics, which leads to their different policy preferences. The framework developed here helps track the trajectory of German anti-militarism, and reveals the changing parameters of German identity as expressed in meticulously crafted partisan discourses. As a result, the terms anti-militarism and pacifism came over time to stand for much more than the standard definition of restraint use of force. This comparative analysis of domestic discourses shows that it is the parameters of identity, not the identity itself, that change as intra- and inter-party debates provide rhetorical sources for proponents of gradual policy change

Refugee rights or refugees as threats? Germany's new Asylum policy

WOS: 000438619000006On-going Mediterranean migration highlights serious tensions over asylum policy in Germany, among European Union members, and with neighbouring states. Yet commentaries thus far lack a clear understanding of these complex dynamics and their policy implications, because each typically relies on only one of two analytically distinct frameworks: either refugee rights or refugees as threats. Instead, we integrate these frameworks. Specifically, we juxtapose securitisation theory with the coalition literature from migration studies in order to analyse societal contestation in Germany's responses to the Syrian refugee crisis. We conclude that, despite tactical political shifts, Germany's commitment to rights remains fundamental because of a resilient coalition of political parties, economic actors, and rights advocates. Insights about Germany, the country arguably most responsible for pushing a common European Union approach to refugees, also help us understand better regional dynamics

Countering insurgency: Turkey's policy toward the PKK's transnational dynamics in Europe

WOS: 000442234500004Insurgents often develop international connections and benefit from external assistance from a variety of sources. Support from diaspora communities has long been considered one of the critical external factors in the persistence of insurgent groups. Yet how the counterinsurgent state addresses external support from transnational ethnic communities and what factors influence the state's policies remain understudied. By focusing on the transnational political practices of the Kurdish community and the PKK in Western Europe, this paper examines how Turkey has addressed the diasporic support for the PKK since the 1980s. It shows that three major factors - the composition of foreign policy decision-makers, their ideological contestation over the Kurdish question, and the European political context - have affected Turkey's policy regarding the PKK's transnational dynamics in Europe.EU FP7 Marie Curie International Reintegration Grant [PIRG07-GA-2010-268255]; Cukurova University's Scientific Research Projects (BAP Project) [SED-2014-2764]This work was supported in part by an EU FP7 Marie Curie International Reintegration Grant (Grant Agreement number: PIRG07-GA-2010-268255), and Cukurova University's Scientific Research Projects (BAP Project ID: SED-2014-2764)

More than a feeling: Emotional responses to international criticism in Erdogan's Turkey

WOS: 000391432900008Extant studies suggest that criticism of state practices may create ontological crises in states, thus prompting emotional responses. This article examines what happens when target states reject external criticism, and the failure of outside attempts to shame and criticise. We show that recipients can view international criticism as opportunities to consolidate state identity rather than ontological crises. Using Turkey's foreign policy towards Israel, we focus on the agency of weak states by expanding the range of emotions stemming from non-acceptance of criticism and by emphasising the role of leaders when crafting emotional responses to negative representations