Why States Contribute to Peace Operations?

Despite all of their imperfections and shortcomings, peace operations have become a significant instrument for the maintenance of international peace and security. Since the beginning of the first peace operation, there have been many articles and books written on various aspects of peace operations. However, there are only a few studies about a specific country s contributions to peace operations, its motivations, and impact of its participation in these operations. This book aims at analyzing the motivations that lie at the roots of Turkey s involvement in peace operations. Participation in such operations has been an identity-constructing activity in the sense that Turkey has tried to reinforce its eroding western identity in the 1990s through this particular way. This book also discusses alternative motivations such as security-related considerations and domestic influence of ethnic and religion pressure groups. It also tries to answer the questions such as: What is the impact of participation in such operations on Turkey? Has the act of participation served Turkey s interests?