Seyfi Taşhan, Founder and the Honorary President of the Foreign Policy Institute

Seyfi Taşhan, the founder of the Foreign Policy Institute—Turkiye’s first think tank—and its long-time director, worked at the General Directorate of Press and Information between 1945 and 1955. During this period, prior to the establishment of TRT, he founded the Foreign Broadcast Service of Ankara Radio, which produced programs in foreign languages.

Having begun publishing the Foreign Policy Magazine (Dış Politika) in 1971, Seyfi Taşhan founded the Foreign Policy Institute in 1974. In addition to being the first think tank in Turkiye dedicated to the field of international relations, the Institute has since become one of the most influential institutions in this area.

He is particularly noted for his assessments of Turkiye’s role within the Western alliance during and after the Cold War. Through his analyses of NATO policies and the European security architecture, he gained recognition in the field of security studies. Through his English-language articles published abroad and his contributions to international conferences, he became one of the figures conveying Turkiye’s foreign policy perspectives to Western decision-makers and academic circles. For example, as a result of his cooperation with U.S.-based think tanks, he contributed to efforts that supported the lifting of the U.S. arms embargo imposed on Turkiye between 1975 and 1978.

In recognition of his services to the development of Turkish foreign policy, Seyfi Taşhan was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal twice by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Representing Turkiye on numerous international platforms, particularly within the Council of Europe, he served for many years as the Council of Europe’s press representative and was honored with the Council of Europe Pro Merito Medal, as well as commendation awards from various international relations associations.

Seyfi Taşhan is married to Attorney Aymelek Taşhan and has one daughter and one son.

Interview with Seyfi Taşhan on the History of the Institute (2013)

Until 1971, I was engaged in business life. At the same time, I was also involved in journalism and worked in radio broadcasting for a period. However, after some time, I began to feel dissatisfied with business life. I wanted to publish something that would be beneficial to Turkey. The main objective of this publication was to present Turkish foreign policy to international audiences, while also explaining developments abroad to Turkey in as objective manner as possible.

At that time, Turkey was experiencing a pronounced right–left political polarization. Together with my academic colleagues, we discussed what kind of journal we should establish. Ultimately, we decided to publish Foreign Policy (Dış Politika) in both English and Turkish. The journal began publication in 1971.

Over time, I realized that it was extremely difficult for two or three individuals to sustain a journal. Therefore, it became clear that an institutional structure was needed to support it. In order to determine the appropriate model, I traveled internationally and visited research centers in the United States, Italy, the United Kingdom, and France.

I believed that it would be possible to establish an organization in Turkey that would be close to the government in structure, yet independent in its activities. However, at that time, associations operating in the field of international relations and cooperating with foreign entities were subject to approval by the Council of Ministers. This meant that establishing an association or foundation was not feasible at the outset. Consequently, we founded a small limited liability company.

In 1974, we further developed the institutional structure, and our cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs began to deepen. We initiated intellectual production activities in Turkey and organized meetings that brought together academic circles, the General Staff, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During this period, Foreign Policy began to be published exclusively in English.

Throughout the Cold War, we were virtually the only institution operating in this field in Turkey. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the think tank model became more popular. By the late 1990s, many think tanks had emerged in Turkey, although a number of them ceased operations after a short period.

In 1987, we established the Foundation for International Relations and Strategic Studies of Turkey. A portion of the shares of the Foreign Policy Institute was transferred to the foundation, thereby placing the company under the foundation’s umbrella.

We organized numerous international conferences. The government allocated the upper floor of the Rectorate building at Hacettepe University for our use, where we continued our activities for approximately ten years. In 2000, upon the invitation of the late Prof. Dr. İhsan Doğramacı, we moved to Bilkent University.

We have presented Turkish foreign policy in many parts of the world. At times, we achieved outcomes that influenced even the foreign policy approaches of other states. We have worked continuously—and we continue to do so.

Dış Politika Enstitüsü Başkanı Seyfi Taşhan ile Söyleşi