Existential insecurity and the making of a weak authoritarian regime in Turkey

Akkoyunlu, Karabekir; Öktem, Kerem

Abstract

This paper seeks to explain Turkey’s rapid de-democratization from the conceptual perspective of existential insecurity, which accounts for the unwillingness of incumbents to share or relinquish power. The Kemalist era, the multi-party period and the early AKP era have all shown elements of the radicalizing effects of political insecurity and the weak institutions which stem from them. The concurrence of a revisionist Islamist project and geopolitical and ideological crises in Turkey’s overlapping neighbourhoods, however, have driven existential angst and insecurity among the incumbents to novel proportions. Under the conditions of this aggravated insecurity, the consolidation of a stable authoritarian regime appears unlikely, reducing the possible scenarios for Turkey’s immediate future to a weak and contested authoritarian arrangement or further escalation of conflict and instability.

Citation

Akkoyunlu, K., & Öktem, K. (2016). Existential insecurity and the making of a weak authoritarian regime in Turkey. Southeast European and Black Sea Studies, 16(4), 505-527. https://doi.org/10.1080/14683857.2016.1253225

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Oct 21, 2016
• Online Publication Date: Nov 16, 2016
• Publication Date: Nov 16, 2016
• Deposit Date: Apr 19, 2022
• Journal: Southeast European and Black Sea Studies
• Print ISSN: 1468-3857
• Electronic ISSN: 1743-9639
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 16
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 505-527
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14683857.2016.1253225
• Publisher URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14683857.2016.1253225