Bir Yumuşak Güç Unsuru Olarak YTB: Türkiye Mezunu Üst Düzey Bürokratlar
YTB as an Element of Soft Power: Senior Bureaucrats Who Graduated from Türkiye

Summary/Abstract: The concept of “soft power” is one of the important elements of international relations. This tool has been implemented by many countries in recent years. Türkiye is also among the countries that can effectively use “soft power” tools. One of Türkiye's most important actors in this direction is the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB). Türkiye Alumni program is one of the YTB’s successful programs. This study aims to reveal the effect of international students who graduated from Türkiye and occupy critical positions in the bureaucracy in their homeland, on bilateral relations. This study claims that among the top officials of the regions and countries where Türkiye is currently conducting a successful foreign policy, there are graduates of Türkiye who have received undergraduate or graduate education in Türkiye with YTB scholarships. Discourse analysis was used to analyze the data in the study. 13 international students who were assigned to senior positions upon returning to their country after studying in Türkiye between 1964 and 2016 are considered within the scope of the study. With this aim in mind, ten countries and one regional administration, including Bosnia-Herzegovina Federation, Somalia, Kosovo, Libya, Tanzania, Azerbaijan, Albania, Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), Bulgaria, Indonesia and Slovakia. In this study, along with the primary sources such as the statements of the people and the data from official newspapers, secondary sources such as scientific studies and periodicals were also used.

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