ABSTRACT “Crossing the Wall”: Türkiye’s Third Way Possibilities between two Coups from British Perspective “Duvarın Ötesine Geçmek”: İngilizlerin Gözünden İki Darbe Arasında Türkiye’nin Üçüncü Yol Olasılıkları
Journal of Modern Turkish History, cilt.21, sa.43, ss.1349-1386, 2025 (ESCI, Scopus, TRDizin)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 21 Sayı: 43
- Basım Tarihi: 2025
- Dergi Adı: Journal of Modern Turkish History
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), Scopus, TR DİZİN (ULAKBİM)
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1349-1386
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Britain, Bülent Ecevit, Cyprus, Demirel, Foreign Policy, NATO, Soviet Union, Third Way, USA, Western Bloc
- Ankara Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Following World War II, Türkiye, which integrated into the Western Bloc in foreign policy, began to question this alignment starting in the 1960s. Crises in Turkish-American relations, the emergence of the Non-Aligned Movement, the development of relations with the Soviets, and political developments in Türkiye led politicians to seek alternative security strategies outside of NATO. From 1968 onwards, increasing anti-American sentiment, the Cyprus Peace Operation, and the U.S. embargo during the 1970s prompted Türkiye to move closer to the Soviets and discuss a defense strategy beyond NATO. As Ecevit famously stated, “we will break through the Wall”, perhaps the 1970s were the years when Türkiye’s NATO membership was most seriously debated, and when it approached options such as the Soviet Bloc, Non-Alignment, and the Third Way. Starting from 1968, throughout the 1970s, the possibility of Türkiye leaving NATO and shifting its axis became a central concern in the British public discourse. The anxious assessments in the British public during the 1970s about the direction of Turkish foreign policy signaled whether Türkiye was genuinely seeking alternative paths to a Western-oriented foreign policy and aiming to build a balanced policy, or whether these efforts were merely attempts to raise stakes with the West due to the rising anti-American sentiment. This article aims to evaluate these questions by examining embassy reports, newspapers, and British parliamentary records from the 1970s.