The Impact of AKP’s Foreign Policy on the Capital Accumulation Process in Turkey

Abstract

ABSTRACT Since 2002, Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi (AKP) has enjoyed an uninterrupted rule in Turkey. Over the years, it has increased its dominance over society by implementing its agenda. During its term in office, the AKP has been following an active foreign policy and has been attempting to become a leading regional actor, especially in the Middle East. This article argues that the ‘hegemony’ concept developed by the Italian philosopher Antonio Gramsci is a useful theoretical lens to understand how the neoliberal hegemony has been established and preserved by the AKP how foreign policy tools have helped to the preservation of its domestic hegemony and support base. This article will study capital inflows and outflows and trade patterns to test which capital groups benefited from this activity. This article will focus on the role of AKP’s foreign policy and how this contributed to the capital accumulation process and consequently the support basis of the AKP. The correlation between foreign policy and domestic policy and the effects of foreign policy on the domestic support base during AKP’s rule will be investigated.