ABSTRACT
Since the inception of the Turkish Republic, the military has functioned as the guardian of both national security and the reforms undertaken by the Kemalist elites. This status has allowed the military to interfere in the policymaking process of civilian governments, especially after the multiparty system was adopted in 1945. Most argue that the military’s shadow over the political space began to disappear ever since the Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power in 2002. Although many scholars interpreted the demilitarization process as an indicator of Turkey’s democratization, the recent rise of authoritarian practices of the AKP government complicates the picture. No longer the guardian of the system, the military was compelled to redefine its role and became subordinate to elected AKP governments. This study aims to deal with how the positioning of the military has been affected by the fluctuations in the democratization trends throughout the history of the Republic; the different kinds of intervention patterns the military undertook; and finally, the conditions required in order for its subordination to the AKP government to continue.
