Browsing by Author "Dengiz, Pelin"

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Embargo
A poliheuristic analysis of South Korea’s responses towards North Korea’s missile tests
(Routledge, 2023-12-16) Dengiz, Pelin
The North Korean missile program has gained undeniable momentum in the twenty first century, highly sensitive to dialogues within the region. One could argue South Korea is accustomed to these repetitive launches splashing into the Pacific Ocean, at times nearing two dozen in a year, but the republic has its sets of policy alternatives when responding to the neighbor’s aggression. To understand South Korea’s decision-making mechanism, I utilize the ‘Poliheuristic Theory’ developed by Mintz. A decision matrix consisting of three policy alternatives (passive by-standing, reaching out, joint drills) is applied to three crisis moments from 2013, 2017, 2022. Primary and secondary sources like defense ministry press releases and news reports are used for data collection. The North’s tests are closely observed by the South but usually not responded to provocations. When South Korea decides to respond, the tendency is to carry the issue to the international audience by citing U.N. Convention, Armistice Agreement, etc. The presence of the U.S. military in the peninsula plays a crucial role, as seen from the remarkably increased tests after the U.S. declared it would lessen military involvement. Several domestic and regional criteria (the Sunshine Policy, eventual unification possibility, U.S. military presence, asymmetrical capabilities, regional status quo) has possible influence over leaders’ responses. © 2023 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
Open Access
State trasformation and actor proliferation: how Türkiye and South Korea emerged as middle powers in the 21st century
(2024-08) Dengiz, Pelin
This thesis aims to analyze how Türkiye and South Korea have emerged as “middle powers” in the 21st century. Both countries have exerted their power over their foreign policy thanks to the transformation the states went through, while both states are taking part in the liberal global economy. In this thesis, it is hoped to contribute to the middle power literature, and to discuss the manifestation of the internal transformation to the foreign policy. Türkiye and South Korea are taken as cases through Process Tracing method and the state transformation they went through is studies with a Neo-Gramscian approach.