A Bibliometric Analysis on the Role of Mediation in Turkish Foreign Policy Since 2002

After the Cold War, the elimination of limitations regarding foreign policy has led to T & uuml;rkiye's mediation activities improving. However, external security issues and transitional governments during the 1990-2002 period prevented T & uuml;rkiye from achieving continuity and consistency with its foreign policy. Since 2002, T & uuml;rkiye has leveraged soft power and humanitarian diplomacy with support from its geopolitical and cultural depth to enhance its mediating role in foreign policy. Between 2002-2020, mediation assumed a significant position among the key principles determining the direction of Turkish foreign policy. T & uuml;rkiye's success in regional mediation led to the emergence of branding after 2020. Specifically, T & uuml;rkiye's responsibility in the Balkans and its mediator role during the Russia-Ukraine War have been considered historical turning points in attaining a character that produces security. In fact, the empirical analysis on mediation has identified T & uuml;rkiye as one of the actors most associated with mediation post-2002, placing it in the same cluster as such global players as the United Nations and the United States of America. In this regard, T & uuml;rkiye has differentiated itself from other actors engaged in the same activity. The study uses a mixed methods to examine this differentiation. The study uses the historical classification of 1990-2024 based on the assumption that T & uuml;rkiye has become a global actor in meditation since 2002 while only being a regional player pre-2002. In line with this, the study uses bibliometric and discourse analyses benefitting from an explanatory analytical method to explore the concept of mediation.