Turkey and Erdoğan’s rising “Lausanne Syndrome”

Abstract

In this article, I analyze the rise of the “Lausanne Syndrome” in Turkish politics during the twenty‐first century through the prism of ontological security theory. The arguments are presented through the examination of the legacy of the “Sèvres Syndrome”, the impact of the Turkish‐Israeli diplomatic break‐up during the 2010s on the Turkish self‐narrative, and the declaration of the second war of independence following the failed coup attempt of 2016. The “Lausanne Syndrome” serves both as a domestic and foreign policy tool, as it relates to Erdoğan’s search for ontological security and geopolitical strategy.

Speculative Undergrounds

“…In this period, the long‐held Islamist counternarratives about Lausanne attained newfound popularity. These entailed the popularization of the sentiments of defeat and the sense of an “unfinished business” once held by the Islamist intellectuals, leading to the emergence of the aforementioned “Lausanne Syndrome” (Drakoularakos 2021, Tziarras 2022). Described as neo‐Ottomanism by scholars and journalists, this new political discourse involved the reconfiguration of Turkey's recent history, especially the political significance of Lausanne 22 .…”