Ontological insecurity on the European Union's periphery: The case of Greece-Turkey bilateral relations

Abstract

Greece-Turkey bilateral relations have been complex and tense for centuries. Accordingly, Greek and Turkish nationalisms have evolved interrelated to and in contrast with one another. Since Greece and Turkey are located on Europe’s periphery, the European Union has been the persistent and pivotal third party in their bilateral relations. This thesis argues that the strained bilateral relations between Greece and Turkey are not the result of material disputes but the repercussion of the ontological insecurity in Ankara and Athens. Accordingly, the thesis delves into the historical background, i.e., the contradictory accounts of Greece and Turkey’s common and connected history and the European Union’s non-normative involvement in Greece-Turkey bilateral relations. Greece and Turkey have developed a biased narrative of their “chosen glories” and “chosen traumas” by forgetting and remembering practices, whilst the EU cannot serve as an ontological security provider and has transformed into an ontological insecurity trigger. As the EU fails to serve as a moral compass for both sides, the conflicting narratives lead to ontological insecurity in Greece and Turkey. The thesis analyses their emotionalised bilateral relations in the context of Ontological Security Studies. In order to put forward and illustrate the thesis’ arguments, data on the Hagia Sophia debate and Turkey’s EU bid between 1999 and 2020 have been collected and analysed.