Zeitgeist Turkey | Episode 18: Does conflict-oriented foreign policy rally votes for Ankara?
Ankara's conflict-oriented foreign policy has received the public's support for military operations, but public opinion often fails to translate into votes. While Ankara's "enemy" in military conflict is ever-changing, the northern Syria conflict was revealed to be the only intervention that expanded the government's voter base.
Editor: Azra Ceylan
In this week's episode of Zeitgeist Turkey, Duvar English Editor-in-chief Cansu Çamlıbel and pollster Can Selçuki delve into Ankara's conflict-oriented foreign policy, and how it translates into domestic politics.
Ankara's foreign policy has involved offshore military involvement for over a decade, including multiple operations in northern Syria, the flare-up in the Turco-Greek conflict in the eastern Mediterranean, and most recently the government's support for Azerbaijan in the clashes with Armenia.
Although the perception of Turkey's "enemy" differs across military undertakings, the fight against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) at the Syrian border was the only operation that triggered a spike in votes.
Polls often show that the public's support often doesn't impact the ruling People's Alliance's vote share, as Selçuki says the public's support is behind the flag, and not the leader.