Sectarian groups as sub-state foreign policy actors? The case study of Lebanon

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Tezin Türü: Doktora

Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi, Uluslararası İlişkiler Bölümü, Türkiye

Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2016

Öğrenci: MURAT TINAS

Danışman: ÖZLEM TÜR KÜÇÜKKAYA

Özet:

Previous studies on foreign policy have documented the proliferation of actors in addition to those focusing on the role of identities in shaping preferences and behavior of actors. This study aspires to address a void in the literature; the role of sectarian identities in foreign policy making by bringing sectarian groups into foreign policy studies as sub-state actors. In doing so, the dissertation adopts constructivist approach as a theoretical framework and assesses its merits for exploring the nexus of identity and the construction of interest in foreign policy and its implications on foreign policy behavior. The thesis initially explores the evolution of foreign policy studies by giving specific emphasis on the emergence of multiple actors and the concept of identity in the literature. Then, it focuses on the analysis of Lebanese history and two case studies –Israel-Hezbollah War and Syrian civil war- through a close scrutiny of the emergence and the consolidation of foreign policy orientations, preferences and behavior of Maronite, Sunni, Shia and Druze communities in Lebanon. As a qualitative work, the dissertation draws its sources from both primary and secondary sources in addition to a field work in Lebanon. Through case studies together with a historical analysis of Lebanon based on a constructivist insight, this thesis responds to the necessity of further questioning the unitary actor model, the role of sectarian identity in interest-building processes and tries to present behavioral patterns of sub-state sectarian actors in foreign policy making.