Public diplomacy activities of Turkey and Russia regarding Central Asia: A comparative investigation

The concept of public diplomacy was coined during the Cold War years, but it became one of the fundamental concepts of international relations after the end of the Cold War and especially in the 2000's. With the development of communication technologies in the 21st century, it became more and more popular. As the importance of non-state actors and civil society grow in significance, public diplomacy activities come into prominence. After the collapse of the USSR, five countries founded in Central Asia gained significance, therefore Central Asia became an area of both regional and global competition. Turkey, having started to enhance her relations with the region before the collapse of the Soviets, conducted intensive diplomatic efforts regarding Central Asia after the emergence of independent countries in the region. On the other hand, Russia's interest towards the region is minimal in years following the Cold War, but later, Russia shaped her foreign policy by increasing her interest toward the region. The main theme of the thesis is investigation and comparative analysis of public diplomacy activities of Turkey and Russia. First of all, general foreign policy outlooks of each country is put into consideration. Public diplomacy activities of Turkey and Russia, fundamental actors and institutions are analyzed. Then, what kind of place Central Asia has in foreign policies of both countries and the basic dynamics of their relations with the countries in the region are analyzed. Lastly, what type of activities are conducted in Central Asian countries by Turkey and Russia is investigated in perspective of post-Cold War public diplomacy. This work touches upon the existence of fundamental actors and institutions which conduct public diplomacy and further investigates the international organizations founded specifically for the Central Asian countries by Turkey and Russia. As a result of these investigations, Turkey is compared to Russia, one of the most important actors in the region. The potential and limitations, advantages and disadvantages of the public diplomacy activities of Turkey is put forth in the light of this comparison.