Global Responses to Conflict and Crisis in Syria and Yemen

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is insufficient to deal with issues such as mi- Endnotes gration, technological development and co- 1. Benjamin de Carvalho, Halvard Leira, and John M. Hob- lonialism, which are emphasized throughout son, “The Big Bangs of IR: The Myths that Your Teachers still the book. Tell You about 1648 and 1919,” Millennium, Vol. 39, No. 3 (2011), 2011, pp. 735–758. Despite its shortcomings, Buzan and Law- 2. Julian Borger, “Donald Trump Denounces ‘Globalism’ in Nationalist Address to UN,” The Guardian, (September 24, son’s The Global Transformation: History, Mo- 2019), retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/us- dernity and the Making of International Rela- news/2019/sep/24/donald-trump-un-address-denounces- tions offers new discussions about the estab- globalism. lishment of the IR discipline and the modern 3. This is a Latin term that comes from Greek classical theatre international order. The book should be read and is generally used in cinema. It means “god from the ma- chine,” and refers to miraculously resolving a problem that by both academics and students, since it chal- would normally not be resolved. See Freddie Rokem, “Theatri- lenges a traditional, settled line of thought in cal Immanence: The Deus ex Machina after the Death of God,” the IR discipline. Performance Philosophy, Vol. 3, No. 3 (2017), pp. 781-793.

By Amanda Guidero and Maia Carter Hallward Cham: Palgrave Pivot, 2019, 118 pages, €46,00, ISBN: 9783030027889

Reviewed by Abdussamed Özbek, Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University

Global Responses to Conflict and ings known as the Arab Spring, Crisis in Syria and Yemen focuses which started in Tunisia in Decem- on the humanitarian crises and in- ber 2010. ternational intervention in the conflicts in Syria and Yemen. This book The conflicts in Syria and Yemen also endeavors to explain why the have led to the killing of hundreds former has received more media at- of thousands of people and the dis- tention, given the fact that the crisis placement of millions. Both have in Yemen is equally severe and thus become highly internationalized deserves the attention of the international through the intervention of foreign actors. public. In order to do so, the book compares Despite these shared characteristics, the cri- the responses to each conflict through an ex- ses in Syria and Yemen have received differ- amination of the coverage each conflict has ent levels of global attention. A clear sign of received from the media, nongovernmental this imbalance is revealed through the dis- organizations (NGOs) and international or- crepancy in reporting on each conflict: “since ganizations (IOs) (p. 2). At the outset, the au- 2010, much higher numbers of articles have thors subtly account for the reasons why the been published about the conflict in Syria conflicts in Syria and Yemen differ both in from many more countries than articles deal- scale and scope from the rest of the tensions ing with the conflict in Yemen” (p. 3). Putting in the region triggered by the popular upris- aside the conventional wisdom and realist

280 Insight Turkey theories of IR, which might suggest that this erage of the two conflicts is not thoroughly discrepancy has to do with great power in- discussed. terests, the book seeks to find alternative explanations by taking into consideration such The third chapter presents an evaluation of the other factors as identity politics, economic different explanations given for the aforemen- issues and the relative power and location of tioned discrepancy, answering from different the Yemeni and Syrian diasporas. perspective of IR theory why both crises have not received the same global attention. Stem- The first chapter provides for the general ming from Realist theory, the first and most reader a brief overview of the countries and compelling explanation refers to the inter- their respective conflicts. The conflicts in Ye- ests of the great powers involved in the Syr- men and Syria have both inflicted huge and ian conflict as the source of the discrepancy. irrecoverable losses on each country and its Other IR-related explanations dwell on Syria’s people, resulting in a critical situation where central role and strategic position, both in the more than half of the population in Syria world order and in Arab politics, the threat (around 13 million people) are in dire need posed by Syrian refugees against EU countries of humanitarian assistance and 8 million and the military involvement of external and people in Yemen are at risk of famine. There- regional actors in the Syrian civil war. fore, the authors rightly argue that, despite the differences in death tolls and the varying The fourth chapter is an empirical effort to un- roles of external actors in each country’s con- derstand why Syria receives more attention than flict, the humanitarian crisis in each country Yemen in the media. The authors using data is equally grim and deserves the same global from Google’s Global Database of Events, attention. Language, and Tone (GDELT) project for quantitative analysis, to no one’s surprise, The second chapter investigates how inter- find that sources and articles reporting on national humanitarian law (IHL) and its as- Syria far outweigh those reporting on Ye- sociated frameworks are referred to by states men (p. 70). A significant finding, however, to justify their involvement in domestic con- is that a greater number of articles report on flicts and humanitarian crises. Highlight- the use of force by states in Syria and Yemen ing three different explanations for differing than on humanitarian issues (p. 70). As the state actions in the two countries, the au- authors themselves acknowledge, a mere sta- thors deduce that international legal frame- tistical abundance does not mean in itself that works for humanitarian intervention are not one conflict is viewed as more significant than frequently invoked in either conflict and that the other. Therefore, in the following chap- there are limitations in the international le- ter (5), the authors embark on analyzing the gal framework that prevent IOs from acting framing of specific events within the crises in duly in humanitarian crises. Although the Yemen and Syria. The framing analysis, later authors reveal which explanations the exter- named correctly as a content analysis by the nal actors resort to for their interventions in authors, covers the reporting of nine interna- the conflicts in Syria and Yemen, which are tionally known news sources on the conflicts mainly intervention by invitation and estab- and the press releases and news stories of IOs. lishing peace and security, the implications The findings of the qualitative analysis in this of this pattern for the discrepancy in cov- chapter indicate that coverage of the two coun-

2020 Summer 281 BOOK REVIEWS

tries is relatively similar, with articles on both regarding the use of state and non-state force Syria and Yemen giving limited attention to and the violation of law thereof. international law and IHL (p. 96), which does not answer the main question of the book. Overall, despite its methodological shortcomings, Global Responses to Conflict and Crisis in The concluding chapter tries to relate the re- Syria and Yemen is a timely effort to explain sults of the data analysis to the explanations a limited aspect of the crises in Yemen and offered by international law and international Syria. The book will benefit general readers relations for the central riddle of the book. Re- as well as those who want to get a brief over- iterating the results of the previous chapters, view of the nature of the conflicts in Yemen the final chapter points to the most significant and Syria. It will help citizens better address finding of the analyses, which indicates that the many humanitarian crises that may occur even in coverage of the humanitarian aspects around the world. The book can also be use- of the crises in Syria and Yemen and the po- ful for students of Media Studies and Interna- tential breaches of international humanitarian tional Relations, as it features a section in the law, news reporting by the main international final chapter providing recommendations for sources and IOS tend to evade any discussion further research in the relevant fields.

The Politics of Healthcare Reform in Turkey

By Volkan Yılmaz London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2017, 267 pages, €99.99, ISBN: 9783319536668

Reviewed by İlknur Şimşek, Yalova University

Healthcare reform has been a sig- in social politics. Volkan Yılmaz nificant issue across the world for the author takes on the challenge of some time. In my humble opin- providing a comprehensive analy- ion, diffirent countries have a lot sis of the political dynamics of the to learn from each other in terms HTP. Methodologically, the book of healhcare, especially developed is a case study based on a single countries from developing ones. country. It examines the political Healthcare reform in Turkey has dynamics of Turkish HTP between become a platform for critics, poli- 2003 and 2013. Empirically over- tics, academics and policy makers, as the po- lays the change in healthcare financing with litical system in Turkey was undergoing a sig- interpretations of politics. Whilst describing nificant transformation at the time the Health the new configuration of power, it also draws Transformation Programme (HTP) in Turkey on different approaches to healthcare sys- was being implemented in 2003. tems. The main focus is the transformation in healthcare system since 2003. The book under review is written by Volkan Yılmaz, who is an academician specializing Yılmaz a detailed overview of the historical

282 Insight Turkey