Turkey's new humanitarianism and aid effectiveness

Traditional donor dominance in humanitarian intervention has come under greater criticism and scrutiny in the last two decades. The humanitarian aid deployed to conflict-affected countries over the last half century by the Great Powers such as the majority of G7 nations, as well as the post war intergovernmental organizations such as the United Nations, or international nongovernmental organizations like OXFAM and CARE, are deemed politicized, interestdriven, and negligent of beneficiary’s needs. In the middle 2000s, several rising powers challenged the conventional traditional donor approach to humanitarian aid and attempted to introduce alternative methods of humanitarian intervention, which would prioritize the needs of the beneficiary and which would be free of the donor’s political, economic, and security interests. In addition to Brazil, India, China, and South Africa, Turkey has been one of these rising global actors with an alternative approach to humanitarian intervention. This dissertation studies Turkey’s new and alternative take on humanitarianism. It explores whether Turkey’s certain principles and practices make its aid more effective, when compared to that of traditional donors and other emerging actors. The dissertation especially focuses on the relationship between Turkey’s opting for ethical, bilateral, unconditional, and beneficiary-driven humanitarian intervention and the effectiveness of its aid. Based on two case studies, the dissertation finds that while unconditionality, prioritizing beneficiary’s interest, bilateral engagement, and moral obligation enhance Turkey’s access to conflict-affected communities and durability of its operations, the sustainability of Turkey’s humanitarian engagement is still exposed to the same challenges experienced by traditional donor; and therefore, these challenges should be further studied

Turkey as a "Humanitarian State"

The global power shift that started over a decade ago has taken a most curious turn in recent years with the decadence of great power politics and the rise of new contenders. The multiple crises of globalization are imminent on international system. These multiple crises entail a nearly synchronistic eruption of the following international conundrums: 1) a global economic crisis that consists of a financial crisis, global recession and unemployment; 2) a crisis of hegemony and power that comes about with lack of leadership, multipolarity, a deluge within Western modernity and the emergence of multiple, alternative modernities; 3) the crisis of civilization accompanied by global climate change, energy scarcity, depleting food resources, and eroding global social justice with skyrocketing rates of poverty, uneven and “uncompassionate” development, and inequality

Selection procedures and incentives for government provided personnel (GPP) in the rule of law: an overview of the civilian capacities network

The deployment of Government Provided Personnel (GPP) in the area of Rule of Law still faces various challenges. This policy brief analyzes these challenges through the prism of capacity providers in the BRICS and other emerging countries around the globe. Discussions were held with government representatives of the Civilian Capacity Network partner countries (Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Norway, South Africa, Russia and Turkey), representing key actors that are increasingly influential in a transforming global order, to analyze the state of affairs regarding GPP in the field of the Rule of Law. Based on the comparative study undertaken in the Network countries, this policy brief explores the current issues, challenges and developments pertaining to these capacity providers and compares their internal procedures for identification, vetting and selection of GPP. It also reviews the provision of special incentives for governments and individual personnel for deploying expertise to host countries experiencing post-crisis and conflict situations. The opportunities for promoting these cooperative processes constitute an integral part of this analysis. The policy brief concludes with recommendations as to viable modalities for deployment, and their implementation

Turkish aid agencies in Somalia: risks and opportunities for building peace

Turkey has become a more visible global actor over the past decade. Its growing aid budget, which made it the world’s third largest humanitarian donor in 2013, has increasingly been focused on conflict-affected states. Since 2011, through the deployment of high numbers of aid workers to Mogadishu, the Turkish government and Turkish non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have markedly expanded aid operations in Somalia. Through a joint research project with Istanbul Policy Center (IPC) conducted in 2014, Saferworld has sought to explore Turkish aid to Somalia and understand what the implications might be for peace and stability in Somalia. Described by Somali stakeholders as tangible, visible and of high impact, aid from Turkey has been broadly welcomed. Nonetheless, as the experience of other international donors over the past two decades has shown, aid can have unintended effects for peace and conflict in Somalia. Alongside providing an overview of Turkey-Somalia relations, the research has identified the ways in which aid from Turkish agencies has been at risk of unintentionally fuelling conflict dynamics. Recommendations have been identified for how both official and civil society aid agencies can address these risks and capitalise on existing opportunities to contribute to lasting peace in Somalia. The research also includes a specific set of recommendations for policymakers seeking to further develop the Turkish government’s foreign policy concept of humanitarian diplomacy

Turkey and Iran: the two modes of engagement in the Middle East

A series of breakthroughs in Iran's contentious affairs with the West necessitate a new way of thinking on Turkey-Iran relations. Hassan Rouhani's victory in the 2013 Iranian presidential elections and the signing of the interim Geneva nuclear agreement between Iran and the 'P5+1' shortly thereafter warrant an overhaul of the conventional policies concerning the Islamic Republic. Coupled with the Arab uprisings, recent developments will significantly impact not only the way Turkey and Iran approach each other but also their regional policies. This paper seeks to shed light on the two different modes of engagement that Turkey and Iran have employed vis-a-vis their approach to their shared neighbourhood. That is, while Turkey is positioned to utilize this breakthrough on a global scale to improve its relations with Iran and other countries through 'humanitarian diplomacy'; on the regional level, Tehran's hegemonic and interest-based ambitions will stoke the subtle rivalry with Ankara. This paper provides a background for the origins of these two different modes of engagement and discusses how they have influenced the dynamics in the region. After pointing out how the recent developments concerning Iran's nuclear programme and engagement in certain regional conflicts shape the Ankara-Tehran dialogue, it concludes with the implications of these competitive approaches for the greater Middle East

The New Kid on the Block: Turkey's Shifting Approaches to Peacebuilding

Abstract An increased Turkish engagement in international peace operations over the last decade corroborates Turkey's new status as a "rising power." Turkey's high regard for the sovereignty of host nations, national ownership, inclusive processes, and beneficiary needs separates it from established actors and classifies Turkey with the other emerging powers like Brazil, India, China and South Africa. Yet, Turkey's utilization of "untied," "desecuritized," and "bilateral" humanitarian aid and development assistance as instruments of peacebuilding places Turkey in a league of its own even within the rising powers camp. This article hence examines whether Turkey's resort to these new practices can contribute new norms to the liberal peacebuilding discourse. It also outlines a number of challenges in the department of quantitative analytics, as well as monitoring and evaluation, with formidable potential to disrupt the momentum that Turkey's peace missions have gained over the years. We conclude that Turkey must apply complexity thinking and develop monitoring and evaluation programs to foster the longevity and effectiveness of its peace operations