Securitization and Identity: The Speech Acts of Bashar al-Assad

Havva Dümen

doi:10.26466/opusjsr.1171798

EN

Securitization and Identity: The Speech Acts of Bashar al-Assad

Abstract

Security is one of the crucial concepts in International Relations. Due to diversity of the security issues encountered by the states, there is a lack of consensus on the definition of the concept. The traditional understanding of the security focuses on threats militarily and state was at the center. However, different approaches emerged to re-conceptualize the concept by the end of the Cold War. The Copenhagen School and its offshoot securitization is one of these approaches which is being frequently used in International Relations. The aim of this study is to analyze the securitization process of opposition, different identities and other actors by President Bashar al-Assad during the Civil War. This research argues that the opposition is securitized with the help of different identities in order to convince both Syrians and regional and international actors so that the securitizing actor can take the extraordinary measures. This study conducts the methods of literature review to clarify the concept of securitization and under which conditions it took place and discourse and content analysis to highlight the speech acts of Bashar al-Assad during the process. To this end, 46 different speeches and interviews of President Bashar al-Assad are analyzed. In all, it is concluded that speeches/discourses adopted by Assad had implications which served the aims and the targets of his rule and government during the Syrian Civil War.

Keywords

Copenhagen School , Securitization , Syria , Syrian Civil War , Identity

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

-

Journal Section

Review Article

Authors

Havva Dümen ^*
Türkiye

Publication Date

November 30, 2022

Submission Date

September 6, 2022

Acceptance Date

November 14, 2022

Published in Issue

Year 1970 Volume: 19 Number: 50

DOI

https://doi.org/10.26466/opusjsr.1171798

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA32PL28LW

APA

Dümen, H. (2022). Securitization and Identity: The Speech Acts of Bashar al-Assad. OPUS Journal of Society Research, 19(50), 824-837. https://doi.org/10.26466/opusjsr.1171798

Securitization and Identity: The Speech Acts of Bashar al-Assad

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Securitization and Identity: The Speech Acts of Bashar al-Assad

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