Forced Humanitarianism: Turkey’s Syrian Policy and the Refugee Issue
The Middle East faces complex and overlapping turbulences. The Civil War in Syria and the emergence of Islamic State have radically changed the geo-strategic environment. In recent years, Turkish foreign policy has faced two major tests in relation to this new situation: a large wave of Syrian refugees and the threat of Islamic State in southeast border areas. Since the start of the Syrian Civil War, Turkey has to deal with an increasing volume of refugees, while the emergence of the Islamic State increased the number of Syrian and Iraqi citizens seeking protection in Turkish territories, in addition to the deterioration of the regional security environment. Ankara has tried to navigate the troubled waters of the Syrian crisis via a two-pronged approach, combining national security concerns with democratic internationalism. One of the highlights of Turkish Internationalism has been growing humanitarian assistance for Syrian refugees, which brings Turkey to a prominent position in terms of humanitarian aid delivery. In this paper, I will discuss the concept of “forced humanitarianism” to explain the intersection with the Syrian Crisis in Turkish foreign policy.
Latest news
- 03/17/2020 Call for Submission: “Non-Alignment Movement and Its Perspective in International Affairs”. Deadline: 1 July 2020 2237 views
Popular articles
- 02/24/2020 The Role of Irredentism in Russia’s Foreign Policy 2216 views
- 02/24/2020 Construction of sub-national identity vis-à-vis parent state: Gagauz case in Moldova 1913 views
- 02/24/2020 The Conflict in Ukraine - The Geopolitics of Separatism and Divergent Identities (Commentary) 1801 views
- 02/24/2020 The Role of the Soviet Past in Contemporary Georgia 1799 views