Vaccine Nationalism and Turkey’s Vaccine Diplomacy During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Year 2021, Volume: 6 Issue: IERFM Özel Sayısı, 1 - 17, 30.12.2021

Barış Esen

https://doi.org/10.30784/epfad.1026552

Cited By: 4

Abstract

Vaccine nationalism is expressed as the process of some countries assuring the supply of vaccine primarily to protect their own citizens, detrimental to underdeveloped countries' access to vaccines. In addition to international aid programs during the COVID-19 pandemic, there are also aids made by countries within the framework of public diplomacy and soft power policies with their own efforts. Industrialized and developed countries that have access to COVID-19 vaccines have announced that they will donate vaccines to relatively least developed countries. Most of the developed countries use vaccines as a tool of diplomacy. This study focuses on whether Turkey uses COVID-19 vaccines as a foreign policy tool. The study focuses on evaluating whether Turkey was successful in vaccine diplomacy during the COVID-19 pandemic, using a comparative method. The study compares the vaccine aids of Turkey and developed and developing countries during the pandemic period. The statements of the World Health Organization and the official aid announcements of the countries are used in the article. After overcoming the shortage of access to vaccines experienced in the early stages of the pandemic, Turkey decided to send vaccines to the least developed and developing countries such as the TRNC, Libya, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Vietnam after overcoming the problems in accessing to the vaccine. Turkey's vaccine donations were more limited compared to other healthcare equipment aids during the pandemic period.

Keywords

Vaccine Diplomacy, Vaccine Nationalism, Public Diplomacy, COVID-19, Soft Power

COVID-19 Salgını Döneminde Aşı Milliyetçiliği ve Türkiye’nin Aşı Diplomasisi

Abstract

Aşı milliyetçiliği, çoğu zaman az gelişmiş ülkelerin aşıya erişimini zorlaştıracak şekilde bazı ülkelerin öncelikli olarak kendi vatandaşlarını korumak için aşı arzını garantileme süreci olarak ifade edilmektedir. COVID-19 salgını sürecinde uluslararası yardım programlarının yanında ülkelerin kamu diplomasisi ve yumuşak güç politikaları çerçevesinde kendi çabaları ile yaptıkları yardımlar söz konusudur. COVID-19 aşısına ulaşabilen sanayileşmiş ve gelişmiş ülkeler görece az gelişmiş ülkelere aşı bağışlayacaklarını açıklamışlardır. Gelişmiş ülkelerin çoğu aşıları diplomasi aracı olarak kullanmaktadırlar. Bu çalışma Türkiye'nin COVID-19 aşılarını dış politika aracı olarak kullanıp kullanmadığına odaklanmaktadır. Çalışma karşılaştırmalı bir yöntem kullanarak, COVID-19 salgınında Türkiye'nin aşı diplomasisinde başarılı olup olmadığını değerlendirmeye odaklanmaktadır. Çalışma salgın döneminde Türkiye ile gelişmiş ve gelişen ülkelerin aşı yardımlarını karşılaştırmaktadır. Makalede, Dünya Sağlık Örgütü açıklamaları ve ülkelerin resmi yardım duyurularından yararlanılmıştır. Türkiye, salgının ilk dönemlerinde yaşanan aşıya erişim sıkıntısını aştıktan sonra KKTC, Libya, Bosna-Hersek, Vietnam gibi az gelişmiş ve gelişmekte olan ülkelere aşı gönderme kararı almıştır. Türkiye’nin aşı bağışları, salgın dönemindeki diğer sağlık ekipmanı yardımlarına nazaran daha sınırlı kalmıştır.

Keywords

COVID-19, Aşı Diplomasisi, Aşı Milliyetçiliği, Kamu Diplomasisi, Yumuşak Güç

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