The military turn in Turkey’s political economy: Defense industry, growth strategy, and power bloc formation


Akça İ., ÖZDEN B. A.

Contemporary Politics, 2025 (SSCI, Scopus) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Basım Tarihi: 2025
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1080/13569775.2025.2587725
  • Dergi Adı: Contemporary Politics
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, IBZ Online, Index Islamicus, Political Science Complete, Public Affairs Index
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Foreign policy, Growth strategies, Military-industrial complex, Power blocs
  • Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

While there is no shortage of scholarship on Turkey’s military industry, the field lacks theoretically grounded and critical political-economy analyses to explain the implications of this recent ‘military turn.’ This study aims to fill this gap by situating the development of the military-industrial complex within Turkey’s shifting growth strategies and the coalition of key actors that underpin them. The military industry plays a crucial role through two main mechanisms. First, it establishes a network of relationships that fosters the development of a relatively high value-added sector, creating a secure environment for capital accumulation across diverse capital groups. Second, it supports a foreign policy and trade strategy that increasingly relies on military power.