Political Entrepreneurship in Diplomacy: A Decade of the Mediation for Peace Initiative

Abstract

Since the launch of the Mediation for Peace initiative by Turkey and Finland in 2010, there has been an upsurge of activities at various international organizations to promote mediation as a conflict resolution method. The UN General Assembly, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe as well as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation have set out to develop mediation norms, procedures, and capacities. Turkey’s diplomatic leadership is the common element connecting the work at all three organizations. Although the assets and motivations of states to mediate in specific conflicts have been studied widely as an act of foreign policy, the actual role played by specific lead nations in the development of mediation norms and insitutions at international organizations needs a distinct framework of analysis. This article employs the concept of “political entrepreneurship” to discuss Turkish diplomacy’s role in the processes that have redefined the context of mediation in the decade between 2010-2020.

Keywords

Mediation, Policy Enterpreneurship, International Organizations, Turkish Foreign Policy, Conflict Resolution

Citation

Burak Akçapar, “Political Entrepreneurship in Diplomacy: A Decade of the Mediation for Peace Initiative”, International Relations, Volume 18, Issue 69, 2021, pp. 29-48, DOI: 10.33458/uidergisi.772679

Affiliations

• Burak AKÇAPAR, Associate Professor, Ambassador, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, General Directorate of Foreign Policy, Analysis and Coordination