Browsing by Author "Övet, Talha"

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    İkinci Dünya Savaşı'ndan sonra Avrupa'daki Amerikan askerî faaliyetlerinin arkasındaki temel güdüler ve NATO
    (Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü, 2011) Övet, Talha; Erhan, Çağrı; Uluslararası İlişkiler
    Theoretical approaches differ regarding the main motive for international conduct. Classical realism and defensive realism posit, respectively, power or security. Comercial liberalism, mercantilism, and revisionist American historiography suggest prosperity. Constructivism and idealism argues that identity-based ideals. This research tested these four motives, by investigating a great power making crucial decisions regarding its most important ally. The research question is: is there a pattern in the motives for American military activities in Europe after Second World War, and if there is -what is it?The four theoretical-based motives were tested in all three cases of American military activities in Europe after Second World War: the establishment of NATO at the beginning of the Cold War, the perpetuation of NATO after the end of the Cold War, and the campaigns in the Former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Kosovo).The research finds that power is the predominant factor. As American relative power grew, the United States sought to increase control over European affairs by expanding its political interests in the continent. This, however, did not happen in a uniform manner. States do not expand when their relative national power increases, but rather when central decisionmakers perceive a relative increase in state power. The 'reality' of the increase in American power is filtered by state structure, domestic politics and policymakers' perceptions. The theory most useful in explaining this long range process and American military activities (at times delayed) is neo-classical realism.The research also finds that the definition of security is neither narrow nor rigid; that ideals and wealth do not necessarily compete with power as a motive, but at times rather complement it; and that decisionmakers' perceptions are highly influenced by learning from history. Since for Americans NATO is primarily an instrument of power, this research concludes that the United States has a strong motive for the continued existence of NATO.