Türkiye'nin Afrika'ya Yönelik Yeni Savunma ve Güvenlik Politikasını Anlamak: Yeni Dinamikler ve Yeni Yaklaşımlar

Türkiye has emerged as one of the most active players in African politics under the administration of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) governments which came to power in November 2002. The AK Party governments have developed new strategies to increase their political, economic, social and security relations with African countries. While Türkiye prioritized soft power policies towards Africa from 2005 to 2016, it began to give precedence to defense and security relations after 2016. This research aims to analyze and explore the main dynamics and driving factors behind Türkiye’s evolving defense and security policy with the continent. This study argues that the shifting internal dynamics in Türkiye, and the West’s inconsistent policies towards Türkiye became the major reasons and the factors shaping Türkiye’s defense and security policy in Africa. This study states that Türkiye's internal and international factors shape Türkiye's defense and security policy in Africa. The main research question in this study is as follows: What factors and dynamics affect and shape Türkiye's African defense and security policy?