Beyond Pragmatism: Exploring the Political and Ideological Bases for the Improving Russian-Turkish Relationship Russia and Turkey have long been geopolitical rivals, and in 2015 the Syrian war brought them to the brink of military conflict. Since then, however, there has been a discernible rapprochement, evidenced in energy cooperation, arms deals, and coordination of activities in Syria. At the same time, US-Turkish relations have reached new lows, due to, among other factors, US support for Syrian Kurds, Fethullah Gülen’s residency in the United States, and US court cases against some of President Erdo?an’s allies. An important question, therefore, is what to make of Turkish-Russian cooperation and what it means in terms of overall Turkish foreign policy. Some suggest there is little reason to be alarmed, as Turkey is ensconced in a variety of Western institutions and will always view Russia with suspicion (Özcan et al 2017). This line of reasoning, however, may underappreciate broader shifts in the geopolitical environment, including Turkey’s disenchantment with the West and Russia’s resurgence and demonstrated capacity to weaken Western unity. Furthermore, it discounts the role that political ideology could play in strengthening bonds between Presidents Erdo?an and Putin, both of whom exhibit illiberal, anti-democratic tendencies and have embraced notions of revising the global order. Indeed, ties between Russia and Turkey are but one example of an “axis of the excluded,” (Hill and Ta?pinar 2006) and this paper will make use of the emerging literature on rising powers to the existing order. It will explore motivations for improvement in Turkish-Russian relations, focusing on the post-2015 period. While acknowledging arguments that, on Turkey’s end at least, this is a pragmatic move, one of “assymetric interdependence” (Öni? and Yilmaz 2015), it takes more seriously the possibility that this represents a broader political or ideological shift. It will examine speeches/statements of state officials and reports in the pro-government media in both countries. In particular, it will look for evidence of a shift in discourse and approach after Turkish-Russian ties reached a low in 2015, and assess how leaders in both countries contextualize their relationship within broader foreign policy goals. References Hill, Fiona, and Omer Ta?pinar. 2006. “Turkey and Russia: Axis of the Excluded?” Survival 48.1: 81-92. Öni?, Ziya, and ?uhnaz Yilmaz. 2016. “Turkey and Russia in a Shifting Global Order." Third World Quarterly 37.1: 71-95. Özcan, Gencer, et al, eds. 2017. Ku?ku ile Kom?uluk. Istanbul: Ileti?im.