Hacettepe University - International Relations
Approved by the Higher Education Council in 1992, our department was established in 1994.
Prioritized Research Areas

Prioritized Research Areas

  • International Security
  • Political History
  • International Law

Research Topics

  • Security strategies, terrorism
  • Artificial intelligence and international security
  • Foreign policy analysis, critical security studies
  • Regional security studies
  • Security in the Asia-Pacific region
  • Balkans, Caucasus, Central Asia
  • Human rights
  • Responsibility to protect
  • Sustainable development goals

Key Words

Security governance, transboundary threats, institutionalism, regionalism, international organizations, artificial intelligence, digitalization, military technologies, international security, perceptions of power, critical approaches, discourse analysis, identity, new threats, regional security, Asia-Pacific, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Balkans, Caucasus, Central Asia, foreign policy, sustainable development goals, human rights, responsibility to protect, R2P.

Significance and Rationale

Today's security threats are perceived from non-state actors or non-military sources such as global warming and pandemics. In this context, it has become vital to understand, analyze and implement the cooperation mechanisms in which multiple and different actors come together to coordinate their policies regarding a certain security problem.

While the place of technologies working with artificial intelligence in our daily lives has been increasing, its use in the field of military technologies has also started to become widespread. It is thought that, in the 21st century, military technologies equipped with artificial intelligence can play a role similar to that played by nuclear warheads at the beginning of the Cold War. There is a need for research to be conducted from the perspectives provided by the discipline of International Relations on the power and impact in international politics of the states that produce and use military technologies working with artificial intelligence. These issues are of significance for the future and evolution of the discipline of International Relations.

In order to determine new maneuvering areas for Turkish foreign and trade policy in the coming decades, it is necessary to do research on the strategic structuring of regions and maritime areas such as East Asia (China and its surroundings) and South Asia (India and its surroundings). In the last 30 years, the Balkans, the Caucasus and Central Asia have become important areas for foreign policy activity for both Turkey and other world powers. In the current context of change of power in world politics, there is a need for in-depth research that analyze the developments and changes in these regions

In the field of International Relations, international law issues are of serious importance for both the world and our country, and there is a significant gap in this field. Regarding international law, issues related to sustainable development goals and human rights (such as Goal 16) appear as current topics and advanced research is needed on these issues.