Controversial nature of nuclear energy in Turkey: an exploratory analysis

Official URL: http://risc01.sabanciuniv.edu/record=b2311527 (Table of contents)

Turkish government advocates to construct nuclear power production facilities to end Turkey's energy dependency, to ensure supply security and achieve development goals. This sparked a severe reaction from the civil society on the grounds of concerns over environmental disruption and nuclear waste. Therefore, nuclear energy has become a matter of political conflict. This thesis analyzes the conflict over nuclear energy based on data obtained by face-to-face interviews, secondary and primary data analyses. The analysis of the conflict revealed that the civil society and the government have a common concern which might provide the way to find an integrative solution to the conflict over nuclear energy. I build on previous critical studies of conflict analysis & resolution by explaining the conflict over nuclear energy in Turkey through stakeholder theory, contact theory, structural violence theory and human needs theory. Human needs theory explains the role of unmet needs in conflict escalation. Structural violence and stakeholder theories explain how deficiencies in decision-making mechanism and regulatory framework escalate the conflict over nuclear energy. Contact theory explains the role of lack of contact between parties in preventing mutual understanding. My analysis, using canonical tools of conflict analysis and resolution, suggests a number of avenues for action to address these conflicts posing a risk of impasse or hardcore policy imposition in carrying nuclear energy policy