What is it about?
This chapter explores how populism connects politics at home with a country’s actions abroad. Using Turkey as its starting point, it examines how collective memories, feelings of loss, hopes for recognition and arguments about who belongs shape visions of the world. Claims to represent “the people” also become claims about sovereignty, justice and a country’s rightful place internationally.
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Why is it important?
Understanding foreign policy requires attention to the social struggles and emotions behind it. International disputes can reinforce domestic narratives about belonging and national purpose, while domestic conflicts can shape diplomatic and military action. These connections help explain how populism affects democracy, relations between countries and international order.
Perspectives
My research on populism, nationalism, and Turkish politics led me to examine how societies imagine political community and their place in the world. I am interested in how experiences of loss, exclusion and aspiration become political claims - and how those claims shape decisions whose consequences extend across borders.
Dr Spyros Sofos
Simon Fraser University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Populism and the International Order, July 2026, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.4324/9781003665830-2.
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