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The Other Face of Turkey's Foreign Policy in Sub-Saharan Africa: Soft Power Policy in Somalia

Year 2024, Volume: 10 Issue: 1, 19 - 36, 26.04.2024

Sümer Esin Şenyurt Murat Özay Taşkın

Abstract

Sub-Saharan Africa, continues to play an important role in the geopolitical landscape due to its abundant natural resources, thriving human capital and growing influence in international politics. This importance has not gone unnoticed by Turkey as it seeks to strengthen its global position and position itself as a regional powerhouse. Recognizing the enormous potential of Africa and more specifically the critical importance of Somalia, Turkey adopted a soft power strategy to increase its influence in the continent, especially after the devastating famine in Somalia in 2011. By providing emergency humanitarian assistance and supporting Somalia's recovery and state-building efforts, Turkey has played a key role in the country's reintegration into the global community. This engagement marks an important milestone in Turkey's engagement with Somalia and underscores a broader commitment under the African Opening Policy, which gained momentum in the late 1990s and escalated after 2005. Over the past years, Turkey has developed a solid and enduring partnership with Africa, supporting its economic and political presence with soft power initiatives in the fields of culture, education, health and religion.

Keywords

Foreign policy Soft power Sub-Saharan Africa Turkey Somalia

References

  • [1] Alegöz, H. İ. (2013). Uluslararası İlişkilerde İnsani Diplomasinin Rolü: Türkiye-Somali Örneği, Master's Thesis, Fatih Sultan Mehmet Foundation University, Institute of Social Sciences, Istanbul.
  • [2] Archilles, K., Sazak, O. (2015). Turkish Aid Agencies İn Somalia: Risks and Opportunities for Building Peace. Saferworld- Istanbul Policy Center, March
  • [3] Bingöl, O. (2013). Somali’de Barış ve Kalkınma Sürecinde Türkiye’nin Rolü. Akademik Bakış, 7(13), 81-106.
  • [4] Demir, V. (2012). Kamu Diplomasisi ve Yumuşak Güç, (Birinci Baskı), İstanbul: Beta Basım Yayın.
  • [5] Gök, G. O., Dal E. P. (2016). Understanding Turkey’s Emerging “Civilian” Foreign Policy Role in the 2000s through Development Cooperation in the Africa Region, Perceptions, Autumn-Winter, Vol: 11, Number: 3-4, 67-100.
  • [6] Gallarotti, G. M. (2011). The Power Curse: Influence And Illusion in World Politics. Lynne Rienner Publishers.
  • [7] Gullo, M. (2012). Turkey’s Somalia Adventure: The Quest for Soft Power and Regional Recognition. . Centre for Policy Analysis and Research on Turkey.
  • [8] Hayden, C. (2012). The Rhetoric of Soft Power: Public Diplomacy İn Global Contexts. Lexington Books.
  • [9] İpek, V. (2014). The 2011 Landing of Turkey on Somalia: The “State To People” Aspect Of Turkish Foreign Policy Towards Sub-Saharan Africa. European Scientific Journal, 412- 428.
  • [10] ICG. (2012). Assessing Turkey’s Role in Somalia. Istanbul
  • [11] Karaoğlan, M. (2018), Türkiye'nin Afrika'daki yumuşak güç politikaları: Somali örneği. (Master Thesis), Gazi University, Ankara.
  • [12] Murphy, T., Woods A. (2014). Turkey’s International Development Framework Case Study: Somalia. Istanbul Policy Center Mercator Policy Brief, February 2014, Sabancı Unıversity.
  • [13] Nye, Joseph S. (2005). Dünya Siyasetinde Başarının Yolu Yumuşak Güç, Translator: AYDIN, Rayhan İ. Elips, Ankara.
  • [14] Oğuzlu, T. (2011). Soft Power in Turkish Foreign Policy, A Quarterly of the Foreign Policy Institute, Vol. XXXVII, No. 1-2, May, S.6-25.
  • [15] Orakçı, S. (2018). Somali: Silahların Gölgesinde 26 Yıllık İstikrar Arayışı. İNSAMER Değerlendirme Raporları, Analiz 25, Web:http://insamer.com/tr/somali-silahlarin-golgesinde-26-yillik-istikrararayisi_1105.html (Date of accession: 20.02.2024).
  • [16] Özdemir, H. (2008). Uluslararası İlişkilerde Güç: Çok Boyutlu Bir Değerlendirme, Ankara Üniversitesi SBF Dergisi, 63 (3).
  • [17] Özkan, M. (2012). A New Actor or Passer-By? The Political Economy of Turkey’s Engagement with Africa. Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, 14(1), 113-133.
  • [18] Özkan, M. (2014). Doğu Afrika Jeopolitiği ve Türkiye’nin Somali Politikası, (Birinci Baskı), SETA Yayınları
  • [19] Özkan, M., Orakçı S. (2015). Turkey As a “Political” Actor in Africa- An Assessment of Turkish Involvement in Somalia. Journal of Eastern African Studies, 9(2), 343-352.
  • [20] Sıradağ, A. (2016). Turkish-Somali Relations: Changing State Identity and Foreign Policy. Inquiri, 89-98.
  • [21] Vuving, Alexander L. (2009). How Soft Power Works, http://apcss.org/Publications/Vuving%20How%20soft%20power%20works%20APSA%202009.pdf (Date of accession: 10.02.2024).
  • [22] Wilson III, E. J. (2008). Hard Power, Soft Power, Smart Power. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 616(1), 110-124.

Year 2024, Volume: 10 Issue: 1, 19 - 36, 26.04.2024

Sümer Esin Şenyurt Murat Özay Taşkın

Abstract

References

  • [1] Alegöz, H. İ. (2013). Uluslararası İlişkilerde İnsani Diplomasinin Rolü: Türkiye-Somali Örneği, Master's Thesis, Fatih Sultan Mehmet Foundation University, Institute of Social Sciences, Istanbul.
  • [2] Archilles, K., Sazak, O. (2015). Turkish Aid Agencies İn Somalia: Risks and Opportunities for Building Peace. Saferworld- Istanbul Policy Center, March
  • [3] Bingöl, O. (2013). Somali’de Barış ve Kalkınma Sürecinde Türkiye’nin Rolü. Akademik Bakış, 7(13), 81-106.
  • [4] Demir, V. (2012). Kamu Diplomasisi ve Yumuşak Güç, (Birinci Baskı), İstanbul: Beta Basım Yayın.
  • [5] Gök, G. O., Dal E. P. (2016). Understanding Turkey’s Emerging “Civilian” Foreign Policy Role in the 2000s through Development Cooperation in the Africa Region, Perceptions, Autumn-Winter, Vol: 11, Number: 3-4, 67-100.
  • [6] Gallarotti, G. M. (2011). The Power Curse: Influence And Illusion in World Politics. Lynne Rienner Publishers.
  • [7] Gullo, M. (2012). Turkey’s Somalia Adventure: The Quest for Soft Power and Regional Recognition. . Centre for Policy Analysis and Research on Turkey.
  • [8] Hayden, C. (2012). The Rhetoric of Soft Power: Public Diplomacy İn Global Contexts. Lexington Books.
  • [9] İpek, V. (2014). The 2011 Landing of Turkey on Somalia: The “State To People” Aspect Of Turkish Foreign Policy Towards Sub-Saharan Africa. European Scientific Journal, 412- 428.
  • [10] ICG. (2012). Assessing Turkey’s Role in Somalia. Istanbul
  • [11] Karaoğlan, M. (2018), Türkiye'nin Afrika'daki yumuşak güç politikaları: Somali örneği. (Master Thesis), Gazi University, Ankara.
  • [12] Murphy, T., Woods A. (2014). Turkey’s International Development Framework Case Study: Somalia. Istanbul Policy Center Mercator Policy Brief, February 2014, Sabancı Unıversity.
  • [13] Nye, Joseph S. (2005). Dünya Siyasetinde Başarının Yolu Yumuşak Güç, Translator: AYDIN, Rayhan İ. Elips, Ankara.
  • [14] Oğuzlu, T. (2011). Soft Power in Turkish Foreign Policy, A Quarterly of the Foreign Policy Institute, Vol. XXXVII, No. 1-2, May, S.6-25.
  • [15] Orakçı, S. (2018). Somali: Silahların Gölgesinde 26 Yıllık İstikrar Arayışı. İNSAMER Değerlendirme Raporları, Analiz 25, Web:http://insamer.com/tr/somali-silahlarin-golgesinde-26-yillik-istikrararayisi_1105.html (Date of accession: 20.02.2024).
  • [16] Özdemir, H. (2008). Uluslararası İlişkilerde Güç: Çok Boyutlu Bir Değerlendirme, Ankara Üniversitesi SBF Dergisi, 63 (3).
  • [17] Özkan, M. (2012). A New Actor or Passer-By? The Political Economy of Turkey’s Engagement with Africa. Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, 14(1), 113-133.
  • [18] Özkan, M. (2014). Doğu Afrika Jeopolitiği ve Türkiye’nin Somali Politikası, (Birinci Baskı), SETA Yayınları
  • [19] Özkan, M., Orakçı S. (2015). Turkey As a “Political” Actor in Africa- An Assessment of Turkish Involvement in Somalia. Journal of Eastern African Studies, 9(2), 343-352.
  • [20] Sıradağ, A. (2016). Turkish-Somali Relations: Changing State Identity and Foreign Policy. Inquiri, 89-98.
  • [21] Vuving, Alexander L. (2009). How Soft Power Works, http://apcss.org/Publications/Vuving%20How%20soft%20power%20works%20APSA%202009.pdf (Date of accession: 10.02.2024).
  • [22] Wilson III, E. J. (2008). Hard Power, Soft Power, Smart Power. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 616(1), 110-124.
There are 22 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Turkish Foreign Policy
Journal Section Research Article
Authors

Sümer Esin Şenyurt 0000-0002-0794-0869

Murat Özay Taşkın 0000-0002-1319-839X

Publication Date April 26, 2024
Submission Date March 5, 2024
Acceptance Date April 17, 2024
Published in Issue Year 2024 Volume: 10 Issue: 1

Cite

APA Şenyurt, S. E., & Taşkın, M. Ö. (2024). The Other Face of Turkey’s Foreign Policy in Sub-Saharan Africa: Soft Power Policy in Somalia. Florya Chronicles of Political Economy, 10(1), 19-36.
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