Seventeenth Global Studies Conference

Abstract

Since the conflict in Syria started, Turkey has become a host country to the largest Syrian refugee population in the world, hosting over 3.6 million displaced Syrians. While Turkey initially welcomed the Syrian refugees as fellow Muslims (Muhacir) as part of Erdogan’s Neo-Ottomanist grand strategy through an open-door refugee program. As Erdogan’s foreign policy objective of regime change in Syria has failed to produce the desired outcome, Turkey’s refugee policy has become more securitized, including threats of forced repatriation and displacement. The recent earthquake has created even more hostile environment towards Syrian refugees. Turkey’s refugee policy however cannot be analysed in isolation but should be put in the context of regional geopolitical developments and its foreign policy strategies. The shift in Turkey’s refugee policies has been the subject of some scholarship, but there has been no comprehensive analysis, particularly from a geopolitical and foreign relations perspective. This paper considers Turkey’s Syrian refugee policies in its geopolitical context and its shifting foreign policy strategies in the Middle East.