Browsing by Subject "International relations."

Now showing 1 - 17 of 17

Open Access
Approaches to the root causes of state failure and collapse
(2012) Yumlu, Seda
In the aftermath of the Cold War, failed states have increasingly been viewed as a cause for concern for the international system due to numerous humanitarian and security challenges they created. Since then, a variety of international responses have been attempted and proposed by the international community to address state failure. The ongoing nature of the phenomenon of state failure and security threats they cause prove that state failure is an entrenched problem for the 21st century. This thesis focuses on the analysis of root causes of state failure in the literature and examines different approaches to it. In doing so, it aims to make a comprehensive literature review categorized by historical, global political, individualcentered and critical approaches.
Open Access
Changing alliance and cooperation dynamics : globalization, nation-state and the threat
(2010) Çağlar, Barış
This dissertation is a study about the form and dynamics of inter-state cooperation and alignment against transnational terrorism epitomized by Al-Qaeda. Since international security is traditionally regarded as the parcel of nation-states, transnational terrorism is a conceptual new-comer to the playground of politics. Its scale of operations occurs in a security environment structurally different from that of the Cold War. The recurrent reason given for debating the role and relevance of alliances in regard to counterterrorism is discussed in the literature to be a systemic change in world affairs marked by the end of the Cold War and globalization. The latter must be disaggregated to determine the essential elements and features of the systemic differences and related threats. Does contemporary inter-state cooperation and alignment against transnational terrorism correspond to the previous alignment behaviors of states that were conducted against other states? Analyzing the evolving forms of cooperation in general and the form of cooperation in alliances is the aim of the study. Through a three-pronged analytical discussion based on the factors of globalization, unit-level preferences and the features of the threat itself, the study concludes that cooperation form in general and in alliances in particular - including the form of cooperation in NATO- is experiencing a shift from a ‘defensive nature’ to a ‘security nature’. Coalitions of the Willing type of cooperation appears to be the re-emergent form of inter-state security cooperation, especially against ambiguous threats such as transnational terrorism that erodes the distinction between internal and external threats.
Open Access
Constructivism and the study of security and foreign policy: Identity and strategic culture in Turkish-Greek and Turkish-Israeli relations
(1999) Küçük, Mustafa
International Relations Theories have undergone an important transformation in recent past. Third discipline defining debate and the end of the Cold War have provided the space to pursue various approaches in IR. Constructivism emerged within this space. It challenged materialist and rationalist premises of mainstream IR theories. Constructivism basically made use of identity and culture in foreign policy analysis and security studies. It contends that state identities and strategic cultures are important factors to shape states’ foreign and security policies. Alliances and security dilemmas are then conceptualized as social constructions with a view to identity and culture. Turkish-Israeli and Turkish-Greek relations are analyzed in this light and concluded that the Turkish-Isreali alliance and the security dilemma in Turkish-Greek relations have important identity questions and strategic cultural factors.
Embargo
Diplomacy in the information age: the use of information technologies in verification
(2006) Fidan, Hakan
One of the major arguments of this dissertation is that the information revolution has had significant impact on verification of existing international agreements. To support this argument, the relation between information revolution and international relations is tackled by examining systemic and unit level effects as well as impacts of information revolution on security, conflict management and international cooperation, and then the theory and practice of verification is discussed in detail with emphasis on regime theories and issues challenging verification. Finally, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) are selected as two case studies for the purpose of analyzing the impacts of information revolution. At the conclusion, based on the findings from the operations of the IAEA and the CTBTO, it is suggested that verification has become even more useful in international relations since it became more effective in detecting cheating thanks to the new information technologies.
Open Access
Doctrine and practice of humanitarian interventions
(2008) Kocaman, Ayşegül
Humanitarian intervention lies at the center of contradictory relations between the principle of state sovereignty and the responsibility to protect human rights. Whereas some theorists define humanitarian interventions as violation of the basic principle of international law and relations, that is the non-intervention principle, and other theorists see humanitarian interventions as the legal and legitimate way of protecting the security of all humanity in the world. The purpose of this study is to contend that the international community has the responsibility to intervene to prevent humanitarian crises. The emerging norm of “responsibility to protect” is getting wider acceptance and support among the scholars in the literature; although no consensus on the legitimacy of humanitarian interventions has been achieved so far. This research also attempts to clarify that the legality and legitimacy of humanitarian interventions is limited to the cases of threats to international peace and security and where there is prior authorization by the United Nations Security Council based on the Charter.
Open Access
Ecological threats and international cooperation for a common future : the case of ozone depletion
(1993) Bayramoğlu, Banu
Ozone depletion is one of the global environmental problems which threaten human health and nature. However, what distinguishes ozone depletion from the other environmental problems is the fact that a stronger and promising international cooperation has been established on the issue. It cannot be claimed that this cooperation has been a perfect accomplishment from every aspect. However, this multinational collaboration can constitute an antithesis against the views projecting apocalyptic futures. Indeed, the ozone regime can be presented as an exemplary case with respect to finding solutions for the other global environmental problems. In short, it can be stated that the international cooperation achieved on the ozone issue may be a hope for further environmental collaboration in future.
Open Access
The effect of identity on the success of international military interventions
(2013) Kavuk, Ömer F
Does identity affect the success of international military interventions? This thesis examines whether one of the factors determining the success of international military interventions is identity. Knowing identity is such a complex concept, what are the components of identity? Although there are multiple factors at play in the construction of one state‟s identity, the focus is on history, religion and language, for their conceptual clarity and overt influence on the decision-making process of governments and more importantly individuals. Therefore, the thesis will (a) develop a concept of identity regarding interventions and (b) provide a more thorough and reflexive understanding of the role and the importance of identity for the success of international military interventions. In order for such a study to take place, key concepts are explained and elaborated upon, to see whether identity is one of the defining elements of a successful international military intervention or not. If identity is found to have a significant impact, it could be expected to have an important effect on the way policy makers conceptualize and operationalize international interventions.
Open Access
The effectiveness of international regimes in states with low internal capacity : a study of international refugee regime in Afghanistan, Iraq and Sudan
(2013) Güler, Arzu
Nearly one out of the six states in the world is regarded with low internal capacity by the Failed State Index 2012. However, having a priori assumption on states’ internal capacity to take decisions and implement them within their own states, scholarly attention has been given to the factors that shape states’ behaviors towards international regimes, mainly discussing under what conditions states will comply with them. Thus, the literature on international regimes neglected to study the effectiveness of international regimes in the states with low internal capacity. This dissertation deals with the research question of how the presence of states with low internal capacity creates implications for the effectiveness of iv international regimes and how regimes’ institutions can operate in such states to increase regime effectiveness. I examine this research question through quantitative and qualitative analyses and with a specific reference to the 4Rs activities of the international refugee regime in three refugee producing countries, namely Afghanistan, Iraq and Sudan. I argue that international refugee regime was not effective in these countries and I propose six tentative principles to UNHCR and its implementing partners to increase the effectiveness of international refugee regime in refugee producing countries with low internal capacity: providing civilian security, overcoming socio-cultural and religious conservatism, increasing government capacity and willingness to cooperate with international community, building trust among local people towards international community and increasing their support for regime activities.
Open Access
Ethno-national conflict and international relations : the case of the Kosovo
(2005) Abazı, Enika
The end of the Cold War was followed by an increase in the influence of ethnonational conflicts in the world politics. International Relations theories have contributed to the study of inter-state war. The question raised in this dissertation is whether the same logic can be used to study ethno-national conflict. To answer the question this dissertation evaluates the contribution of traditional International Relations theories, post-Cold War approaches and Constructivism to our understanding of ethno-national conflict. It points to their strengths and weaknesses in explaining this conflict. The Kosovo/a conflict is used as a case study to illustrate to what extent different International Relations approaches help us to understand it. This dissertation asserts that traditional theories and post-Cold War approaches help us to examine the context that would encourage conflict. Pointing to the limits of these approaches, this dissertation emphasizes the contribution of Constructivist approaches, which assist us to understand the constructive and relational processes which make the conflict and shape the participants. At the same time, this dissertation shows awareness of Constructivism weaknesses.
Open Access
De Facto states and inter-state military conflicts
(2010) Özpek, Burak Bilgehan
The end of the Cold War has given rise to the number of non-state political actors such as de facto states. While scholarly attention has been given to the concept of sovereignty and to empirical analyses of de facto statehood, de facto states as influential non-state political actors remained theoretically under-studied. This dissertation tackles the research question of how an issue that de facto states causes affects the likelihood of conflict between a parent and an external state. I examine the “opportunity and willingness” pre-theoretical framework of Most and Starr (1989) in order to comprehend how de facto states cause inter-state military conflict. I argue that the process of fighting for de facto statehood and the outcome of becoming a de facto state both create opportunity for the parent and external states. Moreover, internal dynamics in a state are important to understand whether the states are willing to exploit the interaction opportunity de facto states generate. I especially examine regime type and levels of democracy in parent, external and de facto states and argue that when these are all democracies, v likelihood of militarized disputes decrease. Using the comparative method and most similar systems design, I analyze two cases: Kurdistan Regional Government, Iraq, Turkey and South Ossetia, Georgia, Russia. Both cases support the arguments of the dissertation. I conclude with a brief summary and implications of the findings for future scholarship.
Open Access
Humanitarian intervention: an inquiry into international law and practice
(1994) Khabirov, Radyi
The subject of the thesis are the major philosophical and legal, as well as aspects of practical application of the concept of humanitarian intervention. Through historical and legal analysis the study tests a question whether there is a place for humanitarian intervention concept within contemporary international system. Crimes against humanity are nothing new. Despite a juridical presumption that human rights are exclusively within the domestic jurisdiction of a state. It has became understood, since the post-Cold War era, that prevention and prosecution, as well as, definition of human rights, are matters of international concern and international competence. However, the contemporary international law strictly stands against any erosion of the limits of the principles of non use of force and non-intervention and consequently rejects the existence of the considered concept. Moreover, what is lacking is, any measure of how extensive a crime has to be before it passes from domestic to international jurisdiction. Another issue is what kind of procedures and mechanisms for taking action, diplomatic or judicial or military should be undertaken by the international community in order to stop human rights violation. The analysis leads to a conclusion that humanitarian intervention concept has a right for existence , at least, for ad hoc application, but in every case should be put under a strict standards elaborated in theoretical literature and international practice.
Open Access
Illiberal security practices of liberal states in the post 9/11 era : Aberystwyth & Paris School compared
(2012) Türe, Tuğçe
The relationship between security and liberty is an issue that has always attracted scholarly attention. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, this issue received a new lease of life in the literature. This is because some liberal states have increasingly adopted security practices that are in conflict with liberal principles. These illiberal practices of liberal states have had implications for non-state referents in the context of the war on terror. This thesis examines the question of what the implications of the illiberal security practices of liberal states are for referents other than states in the context of the war on terror. While examining this question, this thesis adopts a critical perspective by bringing in the perspectives of the Aberystwyth School and the Paris School in a comparative manner. It then, examines this question through a case study on the UK as a liberal state by comparing the perspectives of the Aberystwyth and Paris Schools. In doing so, it offers the argument that seeing liberty and security as separate values that are in conflict with each other results in further insecurity for non-state referents in the context of the war on terror. In this way, this thesis emphasizes the need for going beyond the balance argument of the relationship between liberty and security.
Open Access
The place of social identity in Turkey's foreign policy options in the post-Cold War era in the light of liberal and constructivist approaches
(2001) Kılınç, Ramazan
This thesis aims to describe the positions of diverse social identities in Turkey concerning Turkey’s foreign policy options in the post-Cold War era. This exercise will be placed within the framework of the theoretical propositions of liberal and constructivist International Relations (IR) theories with special references to their emphases on the role of identity on foreign policy making in a comparative manner. For liberal theoreticians, key concept is “state preferences” in the formation of foreign policy. They argue that state preferences are formed in the process of the competition of views among social identities in the society as well as by the constraints resulting from the preferences of other states. In the constructivist theory, a key concept is “national interests” which are constructed and negotiated socially by the discourses among different national identities. In this context, it will be examined the impact of diverse social identities, namely, Kemalist, liberal, nationalist, Kurdish and Islamic identities on the Turkey’s foreign policies towards Europe and Eurasia.
Open Access
The role of foreign policy discourse in the construction of Turkey's Western identity during the Cold War
(2002) Yılmaz, Eylem
This thesis analyzes the role of foreign policy discourse in the construction of Turkey’s Western identity during the Cold War. It examines the concept of identity through a constructivist perspective. In contrast to mainstream theories that treat identities as ‘natural’, unchanging and inevitable, constmctivism maintains that identities do not stand ‘out there’ to be discovered, but are subject to construction and reconstruction by way of intersubjective understandings of actors. The thesis examines the constmction of Turkey’s Western identity by analyzing articles published in the quarterly journal Foreign Policy, which represent the views of academic, political, and—to an extent— military circles on foreign policy issues. Discourse analysis is used to analyze the political representations of foreign policy elites and to understand the systems of signification associated with certain political choices. The thesis analyzes the role of the elite discourse that focuses on Turkey’s NATO membership in the efforts to transform Turkey into a ‘modem’, ‘democratic’ and ‘civilized’ Western state (inclusion), in the face of the ‘traditional’, ‘antidemocratic’ and ‘uncivilized’ states of the Eastern bloc (exclusion). In this way, the discursive elements involved in the construction of Turkey’s identity that are established upon the notion of ‘difference’ (namely the closely linked notions of the ‘self and the ‘other’) are analyzed.
Open Access
The role of national security culture in crisis management : the case of Kardak crisis
(2008) Savaş, Özlem
This thesis analyzes the role of national security culture in crisis management. The use and significance of national security culture in the management of a crisis is the main concern discussed throughout this study. It is assumed that national security culture serves as the main guideline of states during crisis management and the states manage crises in line with their national security culture. This can be assessed from the responsibility undertaken by state institutions to preserve and transfer this culture. Such an assessment contributes to understanding of why national security culture is reliable in crisis management. The case of Kardak Crisis between Turkey and Greece in 1996 is examined within the framework of study purpose. The thesis traces Kardak Crisis and seeks to answer questions such as whether the Turkish national security culture was influential during the management of the crisis and if so in what ways. The case is examined in order to make the main concern of the study more clear.
Open Access
Same situation, different terminus : lessons regarding relations between Turkey and Greece and South Korea and Japan from 1948 to 1965
(2008) Kim, Changsob
In 1948, Turkey-Greece and South Korea-Japan relations were in similar situations of a historical national animosity, perception of communist threat, and strategic interests of an alliance with the U.S. In 1965, whereas the North Eastern case came to a „more peaceful‟ convergence, the Mediterranean case reached „a conflictual type‟ of divergence. The aim of this thesis is to reveal the reason, comparing the two American solutions, which employed two theories, namely, institutionalism and economic interdependence: NATO in the Mediterranean case and bilateral trade in the North Eastern one. Through the use of theoretical and historical/empirical approach, this thesis highlights two findings: (1) in dyadic level of conflict, an economic solution was more successful than the NATO solution, and (2) the formation of direct bilateral relations was easier to eliminate historical enmity and establish peace than multilateral ones. I conclude that bilateral economic interdependence is far more effective in building peaceful relations between states compared to multilateral institutionalism.
Open Access
Utilization of operational code analysis in studying terrorist organizations
(2010-06) Zugaj, Julita Anna
Operational code analysis constituting a framework for systematic study appears to inaugurate a long-waited approach aiming at understanding, unfolding and potentially anticipating the motivational and behavioral constitutions of non-state terrorist organizations. However, operational code constructs known so far do not appear to be compact in respect of the methodology, which could be utilized within the studies of operational codes of organizations different than governmental. Into the bargain, the scholarly evolution of operational code analysis presents an inconsistency associated with the interchangeability of individual and organizational levels of analysis. Addressing these limitations, this thesis seeks to offer an alternative approach by appreciating the instrumentality of beliefs about organizational structure, its potential for determining the style of decision-making and for anticipation of the decision-makers’ logic of political action. This study concludes with a section, which expands the parameters of operational code research incorporating a structural context and discussion of its implications for research on terrorism.