Politics, International Relations & Philosophy

I  joined Keele in 1996 from Wolfson College, Cambridge, where I had been a postdoctoral Research Fellow for the previous three years. Before coming to Keele, I taught  at the Birkbeck College-London, University of North London, and at the University of Cambridge.  I am the founder of the Global Faultlines, co-founder of the Keele Southeast Europe Unit and the Forum for Sport in Global Politics and Society.  

My books include The Politics of Caspian Oil  by Palgrave in 2001; Eastern Europe Since 1970 by Longman in 2005 (second edition in 2006), The New American Imperialism: Bush's War on Terror and Blood for Oil, co-authored with Vassilis K. Fouskas, published by Greenwood Publishing Group in 2005; SOVIET EASTERN POLICY AND TURKEY, 1920-1991 by Routledge in 2006,  Politics of Oil – A Survey, by Routledge in 2006; Unholy Alliance: Muslims and Communists in Post-Transition States (with Ben Fowkes) by Routledge, 2011; The Fall of the US Empire. Global Fault-Lines and the Shifting Imperial Order, co-authored with Vassilis K. Fouskas, published by Pluto Press, June 2012. (GlobalFaultlines- interview)

I am also:

• the chair of the Editorial Committee of the Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies

My research and publications cover two interrelated strands- the first relates to the social and political history of the post-WWI settlements; and the second to contemporary issues and political economy of resources in Eurasia. Through my work I have set out to marry macro historical analysis with contemporary micro dynamics of political economy by employing a 'globalist' perspective. 

Since the outbreak of global financial and economic crisis in 2007-08, I have been writing on the historical/ long-term origins of the crisis and the overall structure of the global economy, using a particular perspective which can be described as the ‘global shift model’.  My recent book,  The Fall of the US Empire: Global Fault-Lines and the Shifting Imperial Order (co-authored with Vassilis Fouskas), Pluto Press, 2012, is a good example to this, analysing the changing balance of global power, the hegemonic shift from the global "West" to the global "East/ South". The decline of the US hegemony, the rise of China and other Emerging Powers, and the nature of contemporary global economy are issues of paramount importance for understanding HOW THE WORLD WORKS, the current crisis and Where Do We Go from Here.  My recent article on this: UK Economy Falls into Double-Dip Recession

Areas of research:

• Soviet Foreign Policy, 1920s and 1930s
• ContemporaryTurkish political history
• Decline and disintegration of the state socialist systems in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union
• Oil Politics and Energy Security in Eurasia
• Global Political Economy - Decline of the West, Global Shift to the East/ South-- a 'World Systems' perspective

See also Research Center's Activities

Select Publications

• A Clash of Empires: Turkey between Russian Bolshevism and British Imperialism, 1918-1923, London: I.B. Tauris, 1997, 268 pp. [translated into Turkish];
• ‘A Longstanding Debate from Lenin to Yeltsin: Sheikh Shamil and Russian Nationalism’, in Ben Fowkes(ed), Russia and Chechnia, 1998; pp.25-64; [translated into Turkish]
• Eastern Europe Since 1970, Longman, 2001, 171 pp. [translated into Italian and Portugese];
• Soviet Eastern Policy and Turkey, 1920-1991, Routledge, 2006, 240 pp. [translated into Turkish];
• New American Imperialism. Bush’s War on Terror, Blood for Oil, (with Vassilis Fouskas) Greenwood Praeger, 2005, 247 pp. [translated into Chinese, Greek, and Turkish];
• The Politics of Caspian Oil (editor), Palgrave (Macmillan), 2000, 232 pp.;
• Kosovo. Politics of Delusion (joint editor), Frank Cass, 2001, 190 pp.;
•  Battle of the Black Gold: Oil, war and geopolitics from Kosovo to Afghanistan link (editor), special issue of the Journal of Southern Europe and the Balkans, Vol.4, No. 1, May 2002;
• 11 September 2001: War, Terror and Judgement (joint editor), London: Frank Cass, 2003, 204 pp.;
•  ‘Ghost Dance: The US and Illusions of Power in the 21st Century’, together with D. Whitman, Alternatives, Vol.3, No.4, Winter 2004, pp.60-91;
• ‘The Kurdish Question in Turkey’, in N. Ghanea and A. Xanthaki (eds), Minorities, Peoples and Self-Determination, Koninklijke Brill NV., 2005, pp. 315-336;
• The Politics of Oil: A Survey (editor), Routledge, 2006, 247 pp;
• ‘An Agenda for the Next American President’, Mediterranean Quarterly, 19(3), 2008, pp. 99-114;
• ‘Communists and Muslims’ (joint editor), special issue of The Journal of Communist Studies and Transition Politics, Volume 25, Issue 1, 2009;
•  ‘The 2008 World Economic Crisis: Global Shifts and Faultlines’, Global Research, 15 February 2009;
•  ‘Tectonic Shifts and Systemic Faultlines: A Global Perspective to Understand the 2008-2009 World Economic Crisis’, Alternatives, Volume 8, Number 1, Winter 2009.
•  ‘ Global Trends, Faultlines and Tectonic Shifts: A Historical Perspective on the 2008-2009 Crisis’, (joint article with Darrell Whitman), Radical Notes, June 2009.
• 'Tectonic Shifts and Systemic Faultlines: the Global Economic Crisis', Socialism and Democracy, July 2010, (joint article with Darrell Whitman).
• 'Ragip Zarakolu, symbol of freedom of expression and human rights in modern Turkey', openDemocracy, February 2012.

Bülent Gökay Open Library
Books by Bülent Gökay

• Reading Between the Lines: Analysing Media to Understand Politics (level 1)
• Introduction to Global Political Economy (level 1)
• IR of Eurasia: Challenges of Globalisation and Geopolitics (level 2)
• Nations and Nationalism in The Balkans and post-Soviet Eurasia (level 3)
• Missing Dimension: Intelligence Services and International Relations (level 3)
• European Politics and Culture (MA level)

I have supervised 25 PhD students in the last 11 years. Thirteen of these have successfully completed their PhDs.

Successful Doctoral completions:

• Drosili Hamourtziadou, “National Truths: Justifications and Self-Justifications of Three Nationalisms in Bosnia-Herzegovina” (2001)

• Yoshihiko Mizumoto, “Counselling America, Involving the Soviet Union: Winston Churchill's Strategy for Britain's Revival, 1951-1955” (2002)

• Hasene Karasac, “The Torn Countries, Turkey and Russia, in the post-Cold War Era: in search of Identity” (2003)

• Kelly Hignett, “The Politics of Organised Crime in East Central Europe” (2005)

• Ahmet Ozturk, “Management of trans-boundary mega-projects in the post-Cold War Eurasia: the case studies of GAP water and Baku-Ceyhan pipeline projects” (2006)

• Emre Iseri, “The US grand strategy and the Eurasian heartland in the 21st century: with special reference to the main Caspian oil pipeline BTC” (2008)

• Oguz Dilek, “The political economy of post-Cold War US global strategy in the ‘greater’ Middle East”  (2008)

• Hüseyin ISIKSAL "Asymmetric Negotiations: Dichotomous International Order and Turkey-EU Relations  (2009)

• Michael Vishnevetsky "Youth gangs and terrorism in Chechnya: recruitment, activities and networks  (2009)

• Ioannis Sotiriou, “The European Responses to the Yugoslav crisis, with a particular emphasis on the French, British and German positions” (2009)

• Peshawa Muhammed, "US Perspectives on Kurdish Independence from Iraq, 1972-2011" (2012)

• Ercan Aslantas, "The European States System and Ottoman-Russian Relations, 1815-1856" (2012)
• Monica Ingber, "Chthonic Security and Transubstantiatory Violence: A Masochian Approach to Iraq" (2012)

Current PhD students:

1. Abdullah Almarzouq, "M. Eastern Regional Security and Iran"

2. Zehra Azizbeyli, "Contesting Memories and National Identity in Cyprus"

3. Alessandra Cessarelli, "Post-Soviet transformation in Kazakhstan and Tajikistan"

4. Mustafa Demir, "Turkey's Foreign Policy Towards Kurdistan Region of Iraq"

5. Seref Kavak, "Kurdish Diaspora in the UK"

6. Muhammed Keles, "Kurdish Identity and Education in Mother Tongue"

7. Shehla Khan, "Identity and Representation in Turkey and Pakistan"

8. Taha Ozhan, "Turkey's Foreign Policy in the Middle East"

9. Ozcan Sahin, "Turkish Foreign Policy and the New World Order"

10. Ilia Xypolia, ", Western Intervention and National Identity in Cyprus"

11. Mustafa Yasacan, "Turkey and Russia in the Cold War"

12. Georgios Tzannetatos, "Greece and Europe"

Bülent Gökay Web journal:
http://www.globalfaultlines.org

GLOBAL FAULTLINES is an online magazine of global political economy, politics and culture

The Global Faultlines is a forum for the emerging patterns and perspectives of the 21st Century and the discussions and debates flowing from the current powerful transformation and set of related problems. We aim to encourage open and constructive dialogue, a platform which seeks to promote information, analysis, and opinion on various aspects of this process of historical change by providing various interpretations/ comments and reviews that are relevant to the analysis of this multidimensional process from a plurality of democratic perspectives. The site also seeks to promote original reports, analysis and debates, and short polemical interventions on topics of political significance conceived from critical perspectives from all corners of the globe. We are also interested in work that would be difficult to classify as belonging solely in either of these groups.

The site is updated on a rolling basis as new material is received and edited. Global Faultlines website at  http://www.globalfaultlines.org  publishes constructive and thoughtful comments from readers.

I have supervised 25 PhD students in the last 11 years. Thirteen of these have successfully completed their PhDs.

Successful Doctoral completions:

• Drosili Hamourtziadou, “National Truths: Justifications and Self-Justifications of Three Nationalisms in Bosnia-Herzegovina” (2001)

• Yoshihiko Mizumoto, “Counselling America, Involving the Soviet Union: Winston Churchill's Strategy for Britain's Revival, 1951-1955” (2002)

• Hasene Karasac, “The Torn Countries, Turkey and Russia, in the post-Cold War Era: in search of Identity” (2003)

• Kelly Hignett, “The Politics of Organised Crime in East Central Europe” (2005)

• Ahmet Ozturk, “Management of trans-boundary mega-projects in the post-Cold War Eurasia: the case studies of GAP water and Baku-Ceyhan pipeline projects” (2006)

• Emre Iseri, “The US grand strategy and the Eurasian heartland in the 21st century: with special reference to the main Caspian oil pipeline BTC” (2008)

• Oguz Dilek, “The political economy of post-Cold War US global strategy in the ‘greater’ Middle East”  (2008)

• Hüseyin ISIKSAL "Asymmetric Negotiations: Dichotomous International Order and Turkey-EU Relations  (2009)

• Michael Vishnevetsky "Youth gangs and terrorism in Chechnya: recruitment, activities and networks  (2009)

• Ioannis Sotiriou, “The European Responses to the Yugoslav crisis, with a particular emphasis on the French, British and German positions” (2009)

• Peshawa Muhammed, "US Perspectives on Kurdish Independence from Iraq, 1972-2011" (2012)

• Ercan Aslantas, "The European States System and Ottoman-Russian Relations, 1815-1856" (2012)

• Monica Ingber, "Chthonic Security and Transubstantiatory Violence: A Masochian Approach to Iraq" (2012)

Current PhD students:

1. Abdullah Almarzouq, "M. Eastern Regional Security and Iran"

2. Zehra Azizbeyli, "Contesting Memories and National Identity in Cyprus"

3. Alessandra Cessarelli, "Post-Soviet transformation in Kazakhstan and Tajikistan"

4. Mustafa Demir, "Turkey's Foreign Policy Towards Kurdistan Region of Iraq"

5. Seref Kavak, "Kurdish Diaspora in the UK"

6. Muhammed Keles, "Kurdish Identity and Education in Mother Tongue"

7. Shehla Khan, "Identity and Representation in Turkey and Pakistan"

8. Sevki Kiralp, "Nationalism and Identity in Cyprus"

9. Taha Ozhan, "Turkey's Foreign Policy in the Middle East"

10. Ozcan Sahin, "Turkish Foreign Policy and the New World Order"

11. Ilia Xypolia, ", Western Intervention and National Identity in Cyprus"

12. Mustafa Yasacan, "Turkey and Russia in the Cold War"