When Foreign Policy Matters: The Gülen Movement’s Fight with the AK Party over Iran

Abstract:

It is widely accepted that identities are stable and they are one of the main motivations for alliance formations. The recent political rivalry between the AK Party and the Gülen movement, however, provides a rich case for those who claim the contrary. As this rivalry has progressed, it is the power struggle that has shaped relations between different actors. This article is a bold attempt to explain the role of power relations in this political rivalry with a special focus on the AK Party’s relations with Iran. Having discussed why identity and interest are not determining factors in the Gülen movement’s vehement opposition to the AK Party’s relations with Iran, the article argues that it is the power struggle between the AK Party and the Gülen movement that largely shapes the latter’s imagination of the current relations between Turkey and Iran.