CRRC, ARISC and American Councils are pleased to announce the 2nd session of the Fall 2025 Tbilisi Works-in-Progress series!
This week’s session will be in hybrid format in-person at the CRRC Georgia office and online via Zoom.
Turkey’s Ideational Foreign Policy in Georgia on Kin, Ethnic, Religious and Diaspora Communities During the Justice and Development Party (2002- 2024)
Dr. Abdulmelik Alkan, Webster University Tbilisi
Wednesday, October 15, 2025 at 18:30 Tbilisi time (10:30 EDT)
The talk examines the Turkish Foreign Policy (TFP) under the Justice and Development Party (TFP) over Georgia’s kin-ethnic, religious, and diaspora communities from 2002 to 2024. The TFP under the AKP has undergone structural changes, reshaping the state’s identity, political structure, ideational framework, and ideological plan for Georgia’s kin-ethnic, religious, and diaspora communities. Foreign policy was analyzed using the constructivist approach, which mainly focuses on the role of ideas and identities in shaping international relations (IR). The identity of Turkey’s foreign policy concerning the ethnic and Muslim diaspora in Georgia. Changing patterns of AKP foreign policy choices toward communities in Georgia and the role of the state and its agencies.
Dr. Abdulmelik Alkan was born in Van, eastern of Turkey. He is an Associate Professor at Webster University Georgia and a scholar specializing in International Relations and Political Science. He earned his bachelor’s degree in International and Global Studies from Lindenwood University in Missouri, United States, and later moved to Tbilisi, Georgia, where he completed his master’s degree with honors in International Relations and Politics at the International Black Sea University (IBSU). Dr. Alkan has published widely in respected international journals, is an active member of several global academic organizations, and serves on the editorial boards of multiple scholarly publications. His doctoral research at the University of Georgia in Tbilisi focuses on Turkish Foreign Policy and Ethnic and Religious Communities in Georgia, offering fresh perspectives on identity, diaspora, and soft power in the South Caucasus.
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Works-in-Progress is an ongoing academic discussion series based in Tbilisi, Georgia, that takes place at the CRRC office at Chavchavadze Ave. 5 and online. It is co-organized by the Caucasus Research Resource Centers (CRRC) Georgia, the American Councils for International Education, and the American Research Institute of the South Caucasus (ARISC). All of the talks are free and open to the public.
In observation of the spirit of the Chatham House Rule, the talks will not be recorded, and we courteously request that the other participants refrain from recording and/or distributing recordings as well or citing anything expressed therein in the press without explicit permission. The opinions expressed in WiP talks are those of the speakers alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views of CRRC, ARISC or of American Councils.
