Turkey’s Mediation: Critical Reflections from the Field
Turkey’s Mediation: Critical Reflections from the Field

Author(s): Ahmet Davutoğlu
Subject(s): International relations/trade, Security and defense
Published by: Atatürk Stratejik Araştırmalar Enstitüsü
Summary/Abstract: In today’s world there are serious problems in the regional and global systems. The end of the Cold War did not help much in regard to developing mechanisms to resolve those problems. The post-Cold War era continued to present big challenges, and the emergence of new issues complicated the deep problems in international politics. Ethnic, sectarian and religious clashes and geopolitical conflicts, as well as frozen conflicts, throughout the world are in need of effective mediation. In the changing secu-rity environment, in addition to bilateral disputes and state security, the security of individuals as well as crises sparked by non-state threats further complicate this grim picture. In this period, in addition to the global economic crisis, the broader Middle East is experiencing a political earthquake creating new challenges that are domestic rather than interstate. e need for mediation is obvious in this new era. In the last three decades, Turkey’s position has been based on the use of diplomacy in an efficient way to help resolve disputes and conflicts. Turkey works to develop effective dispute resolution instruments for various conflicts. It is located right at the center of all the political conflicts of the surrounding re-gions, and is affected directly or indirectly, historically or culturally, by the myriad crises taking place throughout a wide area. When there was a crisis in Bosnia, all those who were suffering tried to escape to Turkey. When there was a crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh, we felt its bitter consequences before anyone else - and a substantial number of refugees escaping from Syria turn to Turkey as a humanitarian safe haven. In times of crisis - as in Tunisia, in Egypt or in Libya last year - Turkey is always among the countries that try to make a significant contribution to its resolution. This is a challenge for Turkey.

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