Written by Imannur Gül (Student of MSc Diplomacy and International Relations 2024-25, Shortlisted for the IDIA Dissertation Prize 2025)

Writing my Master’s dissertation at Loughborough University was both an academic and personal journey. As a student of Diplomacy and International Relations, with a strong interest in security studies and Turkish foreign policy, I wanted to engage with a topic that reflected current geopolitical realities while also contributing to ongoing academic debates. My dissertation, titled “Türkiye as a Strategic Actor in the European Union’s Security Architecture” with the research question “How have evolving global dynamics between 2017 and 2025 affected the way European leaders define Türkiye’s role in European foreign and security policy discourse?”, emerged from this motivation.

The starting point for my research was the changing nature of European and transatlantic security. Since the first Trump administration, debates about NATO, European strategic autonomy, and the reliability of transatlantic partnerships have intensified. Trump’s repeated statements questioning US commitments to NATO created uncertainty in Europe and raised concerns about security dependence on the United States. These dynamics were further accelerated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which fundamentally reshaped European threat perceptions and security priorities.

Against this background, Türkiye increasingly appeared in political and academic debates. As a long-standing NATO ally with one of the strongest militaries in the alliance, a key actor in migration management, and a state positioned as a bridge at the crossroads of Europe, the Middle East, and the Black Sea region, Türkiye occupies a complex and often controversial role in European security discussions. As someone from the Turkish diaspora in Europe, and with an academic focus on Turkish political life, I became particularly interested in the question of whether Europe, in its efforts to strengthen its security architecture, increasingly needs Türkiye.

One of the main challenges I faced early on was narrowing down my research focus. Initially, I considered analysing the issue primarily from a Turkish perspective. However, through discussions and brainstorming sessions with my supervisor, Dr Nicola Chelotti, it became clear that a more original and analytically strong approach would be to examine how European leaders themselves frame Türkiye. This shift in perspective shaped the entire dissertation.

Methodologically, I chose to conduct a thematic analysis of speeches by European political leaders and EU officials. Using the six-step thematic analysis framework developed by Braun and Clarke, I systematically collected, filtered, and coded speeches delivered between 2017 and 2025. This period was divided into three phases:

1. 2017-2021 Coexistence of Strategic and Contentious Partnership

2. 2022-2024 Discourse Shift during the Zeitenwende

3. 2025 Emerging Consensus among European Leaders

Out of approximately 100 collected speeches, 61 were identified as directly relevant to my research question. These speeches were analysed and coded under two main themes: Türkiye as a Security Partner of the EU and Türkiye as a Challenge for EU Security. This approach allowed me to systematically assess whether Türkiye was predominantly framed as a security partner or as a problematic actor, and how this framing changed over time.

The findings revealed a nuanced picture. On the one hand, Türkiye was frequently framed as a challenging or difficult partner, particularly in relation to the Eastern Mediterranean, the Cyprus issue, and its military operations in Syria and Libya. These issues have repeatedly strained EU–Türkiye relations and reinforced perceptions of rivalry and difficult partner. On the other hand, the analysis demonstrated that Türkiye has increasingly been recognised as a key strategic actor within Europe’s security architecture. Its military capabilities, geostrategic position, and role in managing migration and border security have made cooperation with Türkiye indispensable for the European Union. Moreover, since the outbreak of the Russia–Ukraine war, Türkiye’s importance as a NATO ally has become more pronounced. Its ability to maintain communication channels with both Moscow and Kyiv, and its role as a mediator, have reinforced its strategic relevance for both European and transatlantic security.

Theoretically, my dissertation was grounded in neorealism, which provided a useful macro-level framework to analyse how systemic pressures, alliance dynamics, and shifting threat perceptions shape EU–Türkiye relations. Applying this lens helped connect empirical findings to broader structural changes in the international system.

Overall, writing this dissertation taught me that research is not only about answering a question, but also about refining it, adapting one’s approach, and remaining open to where the data leads. The project strengthened my analytical skills, deepened my understanding of European security politics, and confirmed my interest in pursuing further work in diplomacy and international security.

The Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs (IDIA) offers master’s and doctoral programmes designed to meet the evolving demands of today’s world. At IDIA, we work alongside our students to provide them with the essential tools to comprehend these global realities, preparing them for diverse careers in both public and private sectors across the globe. Check out our programmes and apply to study with us here.