As a nation branding tool on Turkey's foreign aids: Diyanet

It is a well-known fact that, due to the natural disasters, crises and extraordinary situations, some societies have needed emergency help from time to time. Especially after the devastation of World War II, foreign aid has been an integral part of the international agenda. Foreign aid, which consisted of financial aid much during this period, has diversified in terms of content in subsequent periods and has become a wide-ranging field. The state of the Republic of Turkey also was needed assistance after World War II and received foreign aid from various countries. However, when we analyze the post-Cold War period, we see that foreign aid is an important component of Turkish foreign policy. Political crises and conflicts, especially burst out in the near region of Turkey, have created a situation that is not possible to stay silent. It has been observed that foreign aids not only advantage to the target country, but also contribute to the image of the donor country. In brief, it is a social building process. In this thesis; the relationship between foreign aid and nation branding is discussed by inspiring the idea that foreign aid is being used as a foreign policy tool in International Relations. Foreign aid in Turkey and in the world have been tried to be explained with examples from various institutions and organizations. It has been seen that both non-governmental organizations and public institutions have important roles in Turkey's foreign aid. As a result of the activities of these institutions and organizations, according to the Global Humanitarian Aid Report 2018, Turkey has become the "most generous country" and has thus strengthened its positive image internationally. In this context, Diyanet Assistance, which has a significant share in the context of Turkey's foreign aid, is examined and the effect on the Turkey's nation brand is discussed. Thanks to the interview with Prof. Dr. Ali Erbaş, this issue was tried to be put forward by including the opinions of the competent authority.