Browsing by Subject "Peacekeeping"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4

Open Access
The analysis of Turkey's approach to peace operations
(2007) Güngör, Uğur
This dissertation aims at analyzing the motivations that lie at the roots of Turkey’s involvement in peace operations, mostly organized under the leadership of the United Nations in the post-Cold War era. The main contention is that participation in such operations has been an identity-constructing activity in the sense that Turkey has tried to reinforce its eroding western identity in the 1990s through this particular way. This dissertation also discusses alternative motivations behind Turkey’s involvement in peace operations, such as security-related considerations in a neo-realist vein and domestic influence of ethnic and religion pressure groups, but argues that these accounts fail short of offering convincing explanations. Methodologically, the research for this dissertation will be thematic, not theoretical. The purpose of this study is not to make value judgments concerning Turkey’s participation in peace operations, but instead to describe, understand, and explain its role. Based on Turkey’s experiences in peace operations, this dissertation reaches the following conclusions. First, Turkey’s western image has improved. Second, Turkey could transform its security identity and interests in line with the changing security conceptualizations in the West. Third, the modernization process of Turkish armed forces has become much easier following Turkey’s presence in such operations. Fourth, the prospects of Turkey’s membership in the EU have increased following Turkey’s cooperation with EU members in various peace operations in different regions of the world. Fifth, participation in peace operations has contributed to the improvement of Turkey’s relations with the United States which have gradually deteriorated in the postCold War era.
Open Access
The English school theory of international relations and peacebuilding : an analysis of peacebuilding interventions in Liberia and Sierra Leone through the world society framework
(2015-12) Halistoprak, Burak Toygar
Although the world society (WS) framework appears to be an important cornerstone in the theoretical triad of the English School (ES), it is the least developed concept amongst others (Buzan 2004). This dissertation's objective is to contribute to the literature which aims to develop and revitalize the WS framework, which is one of the three pillars of the ES of International Relations (IR). It uses this theoretical approach in the analysis of peacebuilding intervention practices. The dissertation proposes three specific parameters which constitute the progress from the international to world society framework. In this regard, changes in the (1) normative context, (2) agency and (3) identity appear as themes which differentiate the WS framework as a distinct theoretical category. The dissertation develops the argument that the progress from the international to world society overlaps with the change in the nature of intervention which have been evolving from traditional peacekeeping to new peacebuilding. The empirical sections of the dissertation focus on the peacebuilding experiences in Liberia and Sierra Leone. These cases are analyzed with specific references to the parameters emphasized in the theoretical chapters. Both qualitative analysis and quantitative content analysis methods are employed in the empirical chapters. According to the results, I suggest that the peacebuilding interventions are better understood and explained through the lenses of the WS framework compared to the international society framework which remains rather state-centric in terms of its normative context and agents. The results also challenge several long established arguments in the peacebuilding literature which suggest that the normative center of the peacebuilding is built upon the understanding of human/individual security.
Open Access
Exploring the roots and dynamics of Kurdish ethno-nationalism in Turkey
(Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd., 2014) Sarıgıl, Z.; Fazlıoglu, O.
Using comprehensive and original data derived from a recent major public opinion survey, this study examines an under-investigated aspect of the Kurdish issue in Turkey: the dynamics and factors behind Kurdish ethno-nationalism at a mass level. The empirical findings disprove the conventional socio-economic peace and Islamic-peace hypotheses around this issue, and our statistical analyses provide strong support for the relative deprivation hypothesis, i.e. that those who think the Turkish state discriminates against Kurds are more likely to have ethno-nationalist orientations. Multivariate analyses further show that religious sectarian differences among Kurds (i.e. the Hanefi-Shafi division) matter: the more religious Shafi Kurds have a stronger ethnic consciousness and a higher degree of ethno-nationalism. The study also provides a discussion of the broader theoretical and practical implications of the empirical findings, which may provide insights into conflict resolution prospects in countries with a Kurdish population. © ASEN/John Wiley & Sons Ltd 2014.
Open Access
UN peacemaking efforts in intrastate conflict : the role of neutrality
(2009) Rizzuto, Natalie M.
The object of this thesis is to find out how the United Nations (UN) can best achieve a successful outcome in its peacemaking efforts in civil conflicts; specifically it focuses on the question of neutrality or bias in the UN’s peacemaking attempts. By largely using content analysis of UN resolutions and some basic statistics, the findings of this thesis show that the UN is less likely to be successful in the peacemaking of civil conflicts when it is biased. Furthermore, the UN is found more often to be biased than neutral in resolutions pertaining to peacemaking attempts in civil conflicts. These results indicate that, although the UN gains its legitimacy and role in the world from its perceived neutrality, this is not the case and this may have implications for its future intervention efforts in civil conflicts.