Beyond Soft Power. Islam and Turkey's Religious Statecraft in the Balkans
Beyond Soft Power. Islam and Turkey's Religious Statecraft in the Balkans

Summary/Abstract: This article interrogates Turkey’s transnational religious engagement in the Balkans, showing how Islamic networks, institutions, and discourses have been strategically woven into its wider foreign policy repertoire. It argues that religion now functions as a flexible yet contested instrument of Turkish statecraft, enabling the government to project influence, perform cultural affinity, and sustain strategic linkages in a region historically tied to the Ottoman polity. Drawing on literatures on soft power, political transnationalism, and state-led religion, the article advances a mechanism-based framework – signalling socialisation and legitimation – to explain when and how religious initiatives translate into durable policy influence. Comparative case studies from Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania, and Serbia demonstrate that effectiveness hinges on institutional credibility, lawful embedding, and local elite brokerage.

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