Making of military tutelage in Turkey: the National Security Council in the 1961 and 1982 Constitutions

This article examines the Turkish National Security Council's (NSC's) constitutional status within the executive organ of the state. It surveys security councils of 31 countries to demonstrate the peculiarity of the NSC's status. It explores how the constitutional articles on the NSC were developed in the making of the 1961 and 1982 Turkish Constitutions. It examines the discussions in constituent assemblies, draft constitutions and reasoned reports of constitutional commissions in order to ascertain the motives behind the establishment of this tutelary council. The paper also offers insights into the importance and meaning of reforms that the NSC has undergone since 2001.