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could occur . However , in practice , foreign policy decisions were made outside the Parliament , and in many cases , the decisions were already made before bringing the issue before the Parliament . Thus , the opportunity of parliamentarians to influence foreign policy decisionmaking was based on their personal ability to influence the ultimate decision-maker , President I . Inonu . 12
Although the establishment of a multiparty system in Turkey in 1946 made criticism of the foreign policy pursued by the government by the parliamentary opposition possible , in practice the role of the Parliament in the actual decision-making process did not change much . While holding an absolute majority in the GNAT , the government did not need the approval of the parliament and could even neglect to inform it about its decisions . A good example of the government bypassing the parliament in foreign policy decision-making was the decision to send Turkish troops to Korea in 1950 . This decision was made without even informing the parliament about it , although according to Article 26 of the Constitution , a declaration of war was under the mandate of the GNAT . Although the RPP , then the main opposition party , was not principally against this decision , it harshly criticized the government for violating Article 26 of the Constitution . Upon the request of the opposition , the issue was brought before the GNAT . The government was accused of violating Article 26 of the Constitution , and Prime Minister Adnan Menderes was obliged to answer the questions of Parliament regarding this decision . The main argument brought by the prime minister during his speech before the GNAT on December 11 , 1950 , was that “ there was no situation of war in Korean issue ”, but “ punitive measures with the United Nations members ’ forces against an illegal force that violated international order ”, so “ in legal terms it wouldn ’ t be right to define it as a war ”. 13 In the end , the proposal of the opposition was rejected by a vote of 311 against 39 . 14
Probably it was due to this argument about the legality of sending the Turkish Armed Forces to Korea without asking the permission of
12
For more details , see : Edward Weisband , Turkish Foreign Policy 1943-1945 : Small State Diplomacy and Great Power Politics ( Princeton University Press , 1973 ), 60-70 .
13
“ 11 Aralık 1950 Pazartesi Kırşehir Millet ve kili Osman Bölükbaşıve Mardin Millet ve kili Kemal Türkoğlu ’ nun , Kore ’ ye Gönderilen Savaş Birliği Hakkında Başbakandan Gensoru Açılmasına Dair Olan Önergesi Münasebetiyle ” in Başbakanlarımız ve Genel Kurul Konuşmaları , Cilt 4 , ( Cumhuriyet HükümetleriDönemi ) Adnan Menderes ( Ankara : TBMM Basımevi , 2014 ), 41-42 . 14 Çınar Bahçacı , “ Parlamentove Dış Politika ” ( Yüksek Lisans Tezi , Ankara Üniversitesi ,
2006 ), 14-15 . 34