The Effect of Internal Structure on Foreign Policy : Case Study of Turkey-EU Relations

The mainstream International Relations (Neorealism and Neoliberalism) believes the world to be in a status of anarchy consisting of identical states as the unit of study. Based on their definitions, states are in a constant state of competition for survival for which they key increasing their power. This one-sided approach fails to take into account several key aspects of the current global system. States are not identical and differences in their internal structures and institutional arrangements will affect their interactions significantly. The purpose of this study is to see if there is any significant difference in Turkey’s relation with the members of the European Union between Abdullah Gül’s and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s administration. In order to do so, several panel data estimations have been conducted. The dependent variable for assessing international relations in this study is Turkey’s trade with the members of the European Union. The data consists of 25 European states’ GDP, Exchange Rate, and Inflation Rate. The two administrations are added as dummy variables. Ahmet Necdet Sezer’s period is also added to the model as the control period. The total period under study is 2000-2020. According to the findings of the model, there is a significant difference in Turkey’s behavior in terms of trade with the EU members between the two administrations under study