Turkish Public Diplomacy in The Balkans: The Power of Soft Power

Hülya EŞKİ UĞUZ, Rukiye SAYGILI,  inquiry.ius.edu.ba

Turkish Public Diplomacy  [JB emphasis] in The Balkans: The Power of Soft Power; original 8-page article contains footnotes.

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Excerpt:

Abstract

By the driving force of the globalisation, the states started to develop a foreign policy focusing on cultural and educational activates rather than militarism and economic dimension. In this power relationship that is called as the soft power, the severity is not used and the components enabling the consent to be given are articulated, the public diplomacy is also accepted as the tool for penetration. One of the nations that is not also unconcerned to the international relations to be performed through the public diplomacy evolving towards the dominance of the soft power is the Republic of Turkey. Turkey where great changes were seen after the collapse of the Soviets in 1990s, want to use the cultural superiority that is an important source for the soft power, as a result of its thousands of years history and empire background on the lands where its predecessor ruled and has the sense of belonging, completely. The very first aim of this work is to find an answer to the matter how Turkey reinforce its soft power in Balkans through the official institutions within the context of the public diplomacy by focusing on cultural and educational activities after the rule of Justice and Development Party (JDP). In order to answer this question, firstly the soft power and public diplomacy concepts will be considered and then the activities of the official establishments bringing the potential of Turkey into the forefront with soft power components will be analysed. ...

Conclusion

The major powers believe in that the relations should be shaped according to the smart power in recent years; however, in the foundations of new power politics, transition from hard power components to the soft power components is there in any case. The JDP who is aware of that situation, discovered the strength of the soft power in compliance with the zeitgeist, used the historical and cultural great ties with the Balkans following the Ottoman rule to reinforce the domain of Turkey through the public diplomacy. Following the stabilisation in the Balkans, Turkey has aided to the Balkan countries to develop their institutional infrastructure together with the realisation of socio-cultural and social-economic relationships through its agencies such as TİKA, YEE, YTB, TMV, DİB, TDV, Kızılay and TRT. As Turkish culture maintains its existence in the region as the popular culture, the foreign policy perception of ruling JDP on the basis of cultural interaction and network effect facilitates Turkey to consolidate its soft power. Therefore, Turkey grounding on thepublic diplomacy providing the efficient use of the soft power plays an order-forming role that charms the peoples and countries of the Balkans. ...