In collaboration with the Georgian Institute of Politics (GIP) and the Heinrich Boell Foundation Tbilisi Office – South Caucasus Region, the Regional Studies Center (RSC) is assisting with the launch of their project, “The Current State and Trends of Turkish Foreign Policy in the South Caucasus”, which is engaged in a collaborative effort by young researchers from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia to develop relevant policy briefs on contemporary Turkish foreign policy related to the South Caucasus region.
Within the framework of this project, the organizers are pleased to announce a call for two young researchers from Armenia. Similar calls have also been announced in Georgia and Azerbaijan, with the overall goal of recruiting six young fellows from the South Caucasus region. The proposed topics for the policy briefs include, but are not necessarily limited to the following:
- Economy
- Turkey as an investor
- Turkey as a key trade-partner
- Interconnectivity & mobility: civil aviation links
- Tourism & Armenian migrant labor in Turkey
- Politics & Diplomacy
- Diplomatic engagement: the bilateral Armenia-Turkey “Protocols”
- The Genocide Issue
- Security
- Security implications from the closed Armenian-Turkish border
- Turkey-Russia relations and implications for Armenia
- Conflicts
- Turkey and the Nagorno Karabakh conflict
- Impact of global genocide recognition campaign
All six selected researchers from Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan will participate in a kick-off training session in Tbilisi on 19 December 2019. During the training, researchers will be introduced to their mentors and will discuss working plans, guidelines and research methodology.
The Policy Briefs should be written in English and limited to between 2,000-2,500 words. Policy briefs should focus on analyzing and assessing Turkey’s role and foreign policy related to the South Caucasus region, and the implications for the EU, as well as issues linked to relations between Armenia and Turkey. Policy briefs will be publicly presented in April 2020 in Tbilisi at an international conference on Turkey’s foreign policy towards South Caucasus with participants from Germany, Turkey, Russia, and the three countries of the South Caucasus. This call is part of a broader project of the Heinrich Boell Foundation looking into Turkey’s role in the common neighborhood with the EU particularly the South Caucasus, Balkans, and the Middle East.
Eligibility: The criteria for selecting young researchers are the following:
- MA degree in political science, international relations, or other social science disciplines;
- Age – up to 35;
- Fluency in English;
- Excellent writing and analytical skills;
- Good verbal communication skills;
- Interest and some background on Turkey related issues. Previous publications on Turkey is an asset;
- Turkish language is an asset;
- Good track record of publications is an advantage;
- Commitment to take part in the kick-off training and the closing conference in Tbilisi.
Submission: Interested candidates should send:
- CV
- 1-page research abstract
The documents should be submitted by email to [email protected] by 5 December 2019. Each selected researcher will receive an honorarium of 150,000 AMD throughout the project.
Selection Timeframe:
- December 5, 2019: Deadline to submit CVs and abstracts
- December 5-10: Interviews with shortlisted candidates
- December 11, 2019: Selected candidates are informed about the decision
- December 19, 2019: Kick-off training in Tbilisi for researchers
Project is implemented in cooperation with the Heinrich Boell Stiftung Tbilisi Office – South Caucasus Region
