ABSTRACT
The objective of this article is to question the functionality of the formulas developed for “international struggles against corruption paradigm,” that has specifically been brought in after the 2001 economic crisis. This analysis is carried out through two main characteristics of the Turkish political structure and it is also targeted to construct a different perspective on the approaches that hold the public sector and essentially the politician, as the sole responsible for the corruption shaped around the this paradigm. The first characteristic of the two, which does not seem to be related directly to the corruption at first glance, is defined as the authoritarian state concept that has been effective since the founding of the republic and reached its peak with the September 12th military coup. The second one is presented as the legal-institutional infrastructure that is formed by the same mentality during the same period and that has defined the internal dynamics of the political setting. In the article, the societal reflexes that are shaped under the influences of these essential characteristics and the relationship patterns that are formed between the various layers of the society and the politician are analyzed in two ways. An answer is also sought to the question why many activities which are regarded as corruption by the main institutions of “international corruption paradigm”, are still indispensable in the political scene of Turkey. At this point, the primary argument of this article is that any strategy waging war against corruption in Turkey that fails to place democratization at its centre will be doomed to failure in securing the desired success.