Türkiye’s Increased Activism in International Organizations as an Initiator State

Membership in international organizations (IOs) is regarded as a significant indicator of a state’s foreign policy activism. The more organizations a state is a member of, the more active its foreign policy. However, this article contends that mere membership in IOs does not necessarily reflect genuine foreign policy activism. Instead, we introduce and define the concept of the initiator state, which more accurately captures foreign policy activism than the terms member state or founder state. The article then provides a historical mapping of Türkiye’s participation in IOs and identifies three distinct leadership periods that illustrate Türkiye’s evolving role as an initiator state in its international engagements. These periods, namely the Atatürk, Özal, and Erdoğan eras, stand out as years in which Türkiye played an initiator role and pursued a more active foreign policy in the establishment and management of IOs.