Yavuz, Görkem

Görkem Yavuz is a Communication Intern at UNU-CRIS. During his internship supported by the Flemish Trainee Programme, he will work under the supervision of Andrew Dunn, the Policy and Communications Officer. His core responsibilities include developing the Institute’s social media presence, disseminating academic outputs, and producing high-quality written content for diverse audiences. A central component of his role involves copyediting working papers, policy briefs, insight briefs, research reports, and blog posts—ensuring clarity, accuracy, and adherence to institutional style guidelines. 

Görkem recently graduated from Ghent University with a master’s degree in Conflict and Development Studies. His master’s thesis, titled “Claiming Responsibility, Narrating Solidarity: Discursive Legitimation of Turkey's Involvement in the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict (1988–2020)”, examines how political discourse constructs legitimacy in international interventions. Throughout his academic training, including a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and graduate-level studies in International Security, he developed strong research interests in foreign policy analysis, political discourse, policy communication, and security studies. 

Görkem began his professional career at the International Relations Office of Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University. During his first master’s programme, he served as a research assistant at the Centre for Security Studies—gaining hands-on experience in academic writing and editorial work. He later co-founded EMPOWIRE, a non-profit organisation based in Turkey, where he led social media management and produced audio-visual content for public engagement. Alongside his studies in Ghent, he worked as an audio-visual content creator at the European Association for Viewers’ Interests (EAVI) in Brussels, contributing to projects on media literacy and digital communication.