Turkey in the UN Security Council during the Cold War: elections, voting motivations and alliance commitments

Abstract

Turkey served for five years in the UN Security Council during the early Cold War period. Throughout its service, first in 1951-1952, then in 1954-1955, finally in 1961, Turkey joined 201 voting sessions, and gave many statements on matters before the Security Council. The three electoral campaigns of Turkey for the temporary seat in the Council, and its voting and statement performance during a 5-year service are very informative not only about Turkey's foreign policy but also about the behavior of small powers during the early Cold War period and the working of the Security Council, the most important international institution. Therefore, this article aims to provide a short story of Turkey's election to and performance in the Security Council, analyze its voting preferences during temporary membership, and debate Turkey's voting motivations.