Humanitarian diplomacy as Turkey’s national role conception and performance: evidence from Somalia and Afghanistan

Altunisik M. B.

Journal of Southeast European and Black Sea, vol.23, no.3, pp.657-673, 2023 (SSCI, Scopus) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 23 Issue: 3
  • Publication Date: 2023
  • Doi Number: 10.1080/14683857.2022.2131978
  • Journal Name: Journal of Southeast European and Black Sea
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, IBZ Online, International Bibliography of Social Sciences, Historical Abstracts, Humanities Abstracts, Index Islamicus, Political Science Complete, Public Affairs Index, Sociological abstracts, Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
  • Page Numbers: pp.657-673
  • Keywords: Turkey's humanitarian diplomacy, humanitarian diplomacy, role theory and humanitarian diplomacy, Turkey's role conception and performance, Turkey's involvement in Somalia and Afghanistan, FOREIGN-POLICY, MODEL
  • Middle East Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

In recent years Turkey has made Humanitarian Diplomacy (HD) an essential element of its foreign policy. This article analyzes Turkey’s Humanitarian Diplomacy as a role conception and role performance by focusing on two cases, Somalia and Afghanistan, as the two most significant cases of Turkey’s Humanitarian Diplomacy. It is argued that Humanitarian Diplomacy as foreign policy has provided Turkey with enough flexibility and ambiguity to bring together humanitarianism with interest. At the same time, Turkey’s foreign policy interests started to become more legitimate and accepted by linking it to widely respected norms. Finally, HD also helped the AKP to consolidate its international state identity as well as its domestic identity.