Local and National Level Humanitarian Diplomacy in Turkey in the Context of Syrian Civil War

2021-10-08
Kandemir, Ali Berker
This thesis analyzes humanitarian diplomacy efforts in Turkey in the context of the Syrian Civil War. The thesis argues that the failed relationship between the Turkish State and the International Non-Governmental Organizations at the local level causes inefficient humanitarian operations towards Syrians affected by the civil war. In addition to that, the thesis considers that the undulant Turkey – West relations have consequences on humanitarian efforts in the country. On the one hand, the thesis considers that International Non-Governmental Organizations implementing humanitarian operations in Turkey approached and existed in Turkey based on their previous experiences and mentality in the aid-dependent countries. On the other hand, while the Turkish State naturally perceived this approach as a disregard, at the same time build pressure on International Non-Governmental Organizations, especially when problems appear with the Western countries who are the prominent donors of these humanitarian operations. The thesis suggests several recommendations to overcome these problems. The essentiality of having comprehensive Context Analysis, covering the nature of the host country, including all precisions, is suggested as the guide for any planned activity or project. Secondly, establishing rapport with the host government and local authorities is underlined for both institutional and staff security. Thirdly, a democratic decision-making process through the involvement of the local staff is essential since local staffers in the International Non-Governmental Organizations are naturally more aware than expats in case of the host country's norms, practices, and laws.

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Citation Formats
A. B. Kandemir, “Local and National Level Humanitarian Diplomacy in Turkey in the Context of Syrian Civil War,” M.S. - Master of Science, Middle East Technical University, 2021.