The Presidency For Turks Abroad And Related Communities (YTB) as a Soft Power Element: Senior Bureaucrats Graduated from Türkiye

Abstract

The phenomenon of "soft power", the importance of which has become more evident in recent years, has become one of the most effective tools of interstate relations. This concept, which has turned into a kind of "cultural export" through various institutions of states, has been implemented by many states regardless of their military and economic capacity. Among these countries, Türkiye is one of the countries that can successfully implement the elements of "soft power" in a coordinated and purposeful manner. This phenomenon, conceptualized as public diplomacy, is one of the main components in the spread of Turkish culture and influence through various official institutions of the state, non-governmental organizations, visual and audio media, citizens with influence in social, artistic, and sports fields, and a dozen popular culture products. In this context, one of the important institutions of Türkiye is the Presidency For Turks Abroad And Related Communities (YTB). YTB carries out this language and culture transfer through different programs and projects. One of these programs is the Türkiye Alumni program. The field of interest of the study is the Türkiye Alumni program implemented by YTB. This study aims to investigate the role of international students who graduated from Türkiye who undertake important high-level bureaucratic duties in their own countries in the relations between their countries and Türkiye. In this context, the sample of the study is mostly composed of Türkiye graduates who serve as ministers in their own countries. However, some important bureaucrats are also examined in the study. Throughout the study, the contribution of international students who have been appointed to important positions in their own countries after graduating from Türkiye to bilateral relations in the following process is investigated. The basic hypothesis of the research is based on the claim that among the senior officials of the regions and countries in the fields where Türkiye is successful in its current foreign policy, there are Turkish graduates who have received undergraduate or graduate education in Türkiye with YTB scholarships. In the study, the discourse analysis method, one of the qualitative scientific research methods, was used. In this context, 13 international students who were educated in Türkiye between 1964-2016 and who have performed and are performing high-level positions in their own country are examined. In this context, ten countries and one regional government, including Tanzania, Somalia, Kosovo, Libya, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Azerbaijan, Albania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Indonesia, and the Kurdish Regional Government of Iraq (KRG), were selected as samples. Through the discourse analysis method, the discourses of the graduates, who were examined in the research, about Türkiye in the process after they returned to their own countries, and their perceptions about Türkiye are analyzed. The analysis emphasizes how the discourses, perceptions, and opinions of the graduates towards Türkiye in their working lives shape the bilateral relations. Türkiye's recent advances in public diplomacy have had important repercussions on foreign policy. The Türkiye Alumni program implemented by YTB is a successful application in terms of communication and coordination with graduates. The perception of Türkiye by the students who graduate from Türkiye shapes the bilateral relations positively. It is among the main findings of the research that the graduates in the countries examined within the scope of the study feel Turkish as well as give priority to Turkish companies in the projects in their countries. Within the scope of the study, in addition to primary sources such as official gazette and statements of individuals, secondary sources such as scientific studies in the literature and news periodicals are also used.