(under review, co-authored with Christiana Ravizza) Humanitarian Nationalism: The politicization of the earthquake response in Türkiye
What happens when humanitarian crises are managed by autocratic governments in politicized contexts? This article gives a critical reflection on the 2023 earthquake emergency response in Türkiye. We show how a nationally-led response, if dominated by an autocratic government, compromises impartial and neutral humanitarian action while also hindering a localized response.
Our study is based on fieldwork interviews and participant observations during the earthquake response. The localization agenda strives to involve local actors in the humanitarian and development sectors. We find that the Turkish government used the localization agenda to impose a humanitarian nationalism by favoring state-affiliated national organizations. The analysis highlights a paradox in the relationship between national and international NGOs, where international NGOs have financial power but are politically constrained by state-aligned organizations. This nationalized response did not align with the localization agenda's goals. The government’s authoritarian character politicized aid, compromised humanitarian principles and limited localization.