A GRAMSCIAN PERSPECTIVE ON THE ROLE OF THINK TANKS IN FOREIGN POLICY MAKING

Who do the think tanks serve? This dissertation will try to answer this research question with the help of the Gramscian approach by focusing on the Turkish case in a comparative manner. The dissertation will also ask whether think tanks aim to influence foreign policy makers or public opinion, and whether think tanks aim to produce objective knowledge or manipulate the public opinion. This dissertation argues that think tanks serve as a legitimization tool of foreign policy makers in order to create a public consent for the sustainment of the hegemony.