Changing perceptions of Turkish armed forces: taking stock of partisanship

ABSTRACT

This article explores the changing public attitudes in Turkey towards the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), which has historically been among the country’s most trusted institutions. Informed by theoretical discussions in the literature and the political trajectory the country has taken over recent years, the study highlights partisan polarization and autocratization as two intertwining factors that inform public perceptions of the Turkish military. The analytical focus is mainly on the voters of the main opposition party. The findings of the regression analysis provide evidence for a significant and rather abrupt shift; CHP voters appear to have lost their confidence in the military. Following a reconfiguration of the political system over recent years, the TSK’s image has altered too. It seems it is not ‘the guardian of republican values’ anymore, but now instead ‘the military of a new, hybrid regime in the making’ where the boundaries between state and government are obfuscated.

KEYWORDS:

• public opinion
• armed forces
• confidence
• Turkey
• hybrid regimes
• civil-military relations

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Dr. Kerem Yildirim and Dr. Orcun Selcuk for their valuable feedbacks and comments on an earlier version. I also thank the two anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

K. Aydin Gunduz

Dr. K. Aydin Gunduz is an Assistant Professor of Political Science and International Relations at TOBB University of Economics and Technology, Ankara, Turkey. He earned his Ph.D. in Political Science and International Relations from Koc University in 2017. His research interests lie primarily in the areas of institutional change in political systems, comparative studies of democratization and de-democratization, political behavior in hybrid regimes, and Turkish politics.