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Historical Materialist Analysis of Turkish Foreign Policy Toward Syria (2024–2026)

Yildirim, Osman LU (2026) SIMZ41 20261
Master of Science in Middle Eastern Studies
Abstract
This study examines Turkish foreign policy toward Syria through the lens of historical materialism. Departing from mainstream analyses that treat economy and politics as separate spheres, it situates class dynamics at the core of foreign policy formation, arguing that Ankara's engagement is systematically driven by the imperative to convert conflict into economic opportunity for Turkish capital. The thesis traces how Turkish capital projected its interests across multiple domains. Following the 2024 regime change, Turkey aspired to spearhead Syrian reconstruction and use Syria as a gateway to Gulf markets; however, reconstruction ambitions failed to materialize due to the lack of Gulf capital inflows, relegating Turkish firms to... (More)
This study examines Turkish foreign policy toward Syria through the lens of historical materialism. Departing from mainstream analyses that treat economy and politics as separate spheres, it situates class dynamics at the core of foreign policy formation, arguing that Ankara's engagement is systematically driven by the imperative to convert conflict into economic opportunity for Turkish capital. The thesis traces how Turkish capital projected its interests across multiple domains. Following the 2024 regime change, Turkey aspired to spearhead Syrian reconstruction and use Syria as a gateway to Gulf markets; however, reconstruction ambitions failed to materialize due to the lack of Gulf capital inflows, relegating Turkish firms to subcontracting roles, while attempts to tether the Syrian economy through Turkish lira adoption collapsed due to currency instability. Nonetheless, Turkey continues to leverage Syrian refugees as a flexible domestic labor pool and has seen a relative rise in exports to Syria. The analysis situates Turkey as a 'sub-imperialist' actor demonstrating that Turkey's role in Syria reflected alignment with the United States, thereby illuminating a hierarchical chain of imperialism that subordinates Ankara's regional agency to the broader capitalist world order. (Less)
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author
Yildirim, Osman LU
supervisor
organization
course
SIMZ41 20261
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Turkish foreign policy, Syria, historical materialism, imperialism, Neo- Ottomanism, reconstruction, capital, bourgeoise
language
English
id
9244362
date added to LUP
2026-06-29 12:45:46
date last changed
2026-06-29 12:45:46
@misc{9244362,
  abstract     = {{This study examines Turkish foreign policy toward Syria through the lens of historical materialism. Departing from mainstream analyses that treat economy and politics as separate spheres, it situates class dynamics at the core of foreign policy formation, arguing that Ankara's engagement is systematically driven by the imperative to convert conflict into economic opportunity for Turkish capital. The thesis traces how Turkish capital projected its interests across multiple domains. Following the 2024 regime change, Turkey aspired to spearhead Syrian reconstruction and use Syria as a gateway to Gulf markets; however, reconstruction ambitions failed to materialize due to the lack of Gulf capital inflows, relegating Turkish firms to subcontracting roles, while attempts to tether the Syrian economy through Turkish lira adoption collapsed due to currency instability. Nonetheless, Turkey continues to leverage Syrian refugees as a flexible domestic labor pool and has seen a relative rise in exports to Syria. The analysis situates Turkey as a 'sub-imperialist' actor demonstrating that Turkey's role in Syria reflected alignment with the United States, thereby illuminating a hierarchical chain of imperialism that subordinates Ankara's regional agency to the broader capitalist world order.}},
  author       = {{Yildirim, Osman}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Historical Materialist Analysis of Turkish Foreign Policy Toward Syria (2024–2026)}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}