Publication: Türkiye’s soft power by using public diplomacy : The case of Ukraine between 2002-2022
Abstract
Bu tez, Türkiye’nin kamu diplomasisi faaliyetlerinin Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi (AK Parti) dönemindeki gelişimini Ukrayna’yı örnek alarak analiz etmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Bu bağlamda tezin temel araştırma sorusu şu şekildedir: Türkiye, 2002-2022 yılları arasındaki AK Parti döneminde Ukrayna’da yumuşak gücünü artırmak için kamu diplomasisi araçlarını nasıl kullanmıştır? Tezde Ukrayna’daki Türk kamu diplomasisinin aracıları olarak kabul edilebilecekleri için “devletten kamuoyuna” aktörler olarak özellikle Türk İşbirliği ve Koordinasyon Ajansı Başkanlığı (TİKA), Yurtdışı Türkler ve Akraba Topluluklar Başkanlığı (YTB), Yunus Emre Enstitüsü (YEE), Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı (Diyanet) ve Maarif Vakfı’nın ana faaliyetleri üzerinde durulacaktır. Bununla birlikte ticaret ve yatırımlar, turizm ve televizyon dizileri ise “kamuoyundan kamuoyuna” kamu diplomasisi araçları olarak ele alınmaktadır. Tezde birincil ve ikincil kaynaklara dayalı olarak hem nicel hem de nitel veriler kullanılmıştır. Nicel veriler açısından, Dış Ekonomik İlişkiler Kurulu (DEİK) ve T.C. Dışişleri Bakanlığı gibi ilgili Türk kurumlarının yıllık planlarında yer alan istatistiksel veriler analiz edilmektedir. Nitel veriler arasında ise uzmanlarla yapılan röportajlar ve önde gelen siyasetçi ve diplomatların açıklamalarının yanı sıra Türkiye ve Ukrayna’daki resmi internet sitelerinden elde edilen ve Türkiye ve Ukrayna’nın resmi bakış açılarına ışık tutan veriler yer almaktadır. Son olarak, tezin Rusya’nın Ukrayna’yı işgalinin başladığı Şubat 2022’ye kadar olan dönemi ele aldığını vurgulamak gerekir. Bunun nedeni, Rusya’nın işgali sonrasında Ukrayna’da devam eden silahlı çatışmaların savaş öncesi döneme göre ülkedeki siyasi, ekonomik ve askeri dinamikleri köklü biçimde değiştirmiş olmasıdır. Bazı sınırlamalar olmakla birlikte, tez genel olarak Türkiye’nin Ukrayna üzerine yumuşak güç politikalarının başarılı olduğunu öne sürmektedir.
This thesis aims to analyze the development of Türkiye’s public diplomacy activities in the Justice and Development Party (JDP) period by focusing on Ukraine as a case study. The main research question of the thesis in this regard is as follows: How has Türkiye utilized public diplomacy instruments in order to increase its soft power in Ukraine during the era of the JDP between 2002 and 2022? The thesis will particularly focus on the activities of Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB), Yunus Emre Institute (YEE), Presidency for Religious Affairs (Diyanet) and the Maarif Foundation as the main “state-to-public” actors, since they can also be regarded as the catalyzers of Turkish public diplomacy in Ukraine, while trade and investments, tourism and TV series are treated as “public-to-public” instruments. Both quantitative and qualitative data based on primary and secondary sources are used in the thesis. In terms of quantitative data, the thesis analyzes statistical data included in the annual plans of relevant Turkish institutions such as the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Türkiye. The qualitative data includes a number of interviews conducted with the experts and statements of leading politicians and diplomats as well as data obtained from official websites in Türkiye and Ukraine that shed light on the perspectives of Turkish and Ukrainian sides. Finally, it should be emphasized that the thesis only focuses on the period until the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. This is due to the fact that Russia’s invasion and the ongoing armed hostilities in Ukraine have radically changed the political, economic and military dynamics in the country in comparison to the pre-war period. Although there are some limitations, thesis argues Türkiye’s overall soft power policies on Ukraine are successful.
This thesis aims to analyze the development of Türkiye’s public diplomacy activities in the Justice and Development Party (JDP) period by focusing on Ukraine as a case study. The main research question of the thesis in this regard is as follows: How has Türkiye utilized public diplomacy instruments in order to increase its soft power in Ukraine during the era of the JDP between 2002 and 2022? The thesis will particularly focus on the activities of Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB), Yunus Emre Institute (YEE), Presidency for Religious Affairs (Diyanet) and the Maarif Foundation as the main “state-to-public” actors, since they can also be regarded as the catalyzers of Turkish public diplomacy in Ukraine, while trade and investments, tourism and TV series are treated as “public-to-public” instruments. Both quantitative and qualitative data based on primary and secondary sources are used in the thesis. In terms of quantitative data, the thesis analyzes statistical data included in the annual plans of relevant Turkish institutions such as the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Türkiye. The qualitative data includes a number of interviews conducted with the experts and statements of leading politicians and diplomats as well as data obtained from official websites in Türkiye and Ukraine that shed light on the perspectives of Turkish and Ukrainian sides. Finally, it should be emphasized that the thesis only focuses on the period until the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. This is due to the fact that Russia’s invasion and the ongoing armed hostilities in Ukraine have radically changed the political, economic and military dynamics in the country in comparison to the pre-war period. Although there are some limitations, thesis argues Türkiye’s overall soft power policies on Ukraine are successful.