Greek-Turkish Relations: Theoretical Reflections

This book provides an overview of the complex and turbulent relations between Greece and Turkey, focusing on recent developments and the challenges in their bilateral relationship. It draws on a comprehensive array of international relations theories to suggest that sources of instability in the Aegean are found in security relations, identity and cultural discourses, and patriarchal and class societal structures. The chapters reflect on several questions about the role and significance of constitutive and non-constitutive elements in the Greek-Turkish policy and social arenas. They offer a better understanding of the bilateral interaction and why the Greek-Turkish relationship continue to hold the potential for traditional geopolitical antagonism and conflict, as well as why it is so hard to escape a security culture of hopelessly unresolved problems, enduring security dilemmas, crisis-prone geopolitics.

The chapters in this book discuss the historical context, including attempts at reconciliation, and examine the role of perceptions, geopolitics, and historical grievances in shaping the current situation. The book emphasizes the cyclical nature of relations, with periods of calm followed by tensions and crises. It highlights the need for a comprehensive approach to resolve the existing disputes, including the importance of confidence-building measures and a political settlement. Overall, the book underlines the complexity of Greek-Turkish relations and the challenges in achieving lasting peace and stability in the region.

This book is aimed at scholars, policymakers, and students in the fields of international relations, political science, and security studies.

The chapters in this book, except for Chapter 8, were published as a special issue of Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies. Chapter 8 was originally published in Southeast European and Black Sea Studies.

Mustafa Aydın is Professor of International Relations at Kadir Has University, President of the International Relations Council Turkey, Coordinator of Global Academy, and Co-Coordinator of the Greek Turkish Forum. His areas of interest include international politics, foreign policy, security issues related to the Caucasus, Black Sea, Middle East, and Turkish foreign and security policies.

Kostas Ifantis is Professor of International Relations at Panteion University of Athens. He is also the Director of the Institute of International Relations. His most recent publication is Arms Racing, Military Build-Ups, and Dispute Intensity: Evidence from the Greek-Turkish Rivalry, 1985-2020 (with I. Choulis and M. Mehrl) in Defence and Peace Economics, 2022.