Democratic Peace Theory and Greek-Turkish relations in the context of the European Union

Abstract

The European Council Helsinki Summit marked the initiation of the rapprochement procedure between Turkey and Greece, a dyad that for many decades was a source of instability in the Eastern part of Europe. After 1999, Greece abandoned the "Cold War rhetoric" in its relations with Turkey and shifted its foreign policy towards a more moderate stance by raising its veto regarding Turkey's accession in the European Union (EU). Greece's new foreign policy has many common elements with the Democratic Peace Theory of international relations. Hence, this thesis asks the following question: do the Greco-Turkish peaceful relations from 1999 until today fits the Democratic Peace Theory? By examining the three pillars of the theory, namely economic interdependence, consolidation of democracy and common participation in intergovernmental organization, the thesis concludes that the Democratic Peace Theory cannot explain the Greco-Turkish rapprochement procedure initiated by Greece after 1999.