Browsing by Subject "Multi-centric World"
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Item Open Access Balance of power theory meets Al Qaeda : dynamics of non-state actor balancing in postinternational politics(Bilkent University, 2008) Denk, AytaçThe bulk of studies on the balance of power, which constitutes balance of power theory, suggest that only states are involved in balance of power dynamics. This thesis maintains that exclusion of non-state actors (NSAs) from balance of power dynamics constitutes a significant gap in balance of power theory. This gap originates from a failure to notice fundamental changes in the structure of, and actorness in, world politics. As a result of these macro level and micro level changes, NSAs became both motivated and capable of balancing against states. This thesis evaluates Al Qaeda’s challenge against the United States as a case study of balancing behavior. A close examination of its discourse reveals that Al Qaeda is motivated to balance against America while mechanisms that it uses demonstrate that the organization is capable of engaging in such balancing. This balancing behavior has not only undermined American power but also appears to be playing a role in global power distribution dynamics in world politics. This thesis is, in short, an attempt to fill the theoretical and empirical gap that exists in balance of power theory. It concludes that the full potential of balance of power theory can be realized only by extending its boundaries to cover the postinternational world structure and thus opening it up to NSAs.Item Open Access Conceptualizing transnational terrorism and the emergence of the non-state security actor : Al Qaeda(Bilkent University, 2004) Konur, Nur ÇağrıThis thesis analyzes the nature of transnational terrorism and the actorness of transnational terrorists in order to answer the question of whether it is possibility to give an effective international response to transnational terrorism. A dualistic approach of world politics has been developed in order to understand the ‘international’ nature of the response on the one hand, and the ‘transnational’ nature of the threat on the other hand. Accordingly, international nature of the response has been explained with the statecentric world image, while transnational nature of the threat has been explained with the multi-centric world image. Then, the term transnational terrorism has been conceptualized and the differences of the threat percerptions within the multi-centric world, of which transnational terrorism is a part, than those of the state-centric world have been analyzed. Thus, the rise of transnational terrorists as non-state security actors with the help of the multi-centric world and the actorness characteristics of these nonstate security actors have been mentioned. The evolution and the characteristics of Al Qaeda transnational terrorist organization, which fits the non-state actorness criteria the best, has been evaluated in order to demonstrate the arguments made. In conclusion, it has been found out that the existing international response mechanisms cannot meet the challange posed by transnational terrorism effectively. This is because while the response mechanisms are international and developed to meet the challanges posed by states, transnational terrorism is a transnational threat that is posed by non-state security actors, namely by transnational terrorists.