Turkey's Soft Power and Public Diplomacy in Bosnia-Herzegovina
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Turkey’s Soft Power and Public Diplomacy in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Sandžak (2002 -2017) Jahja Muhasilović Istanbul 2020 Turkey’s Soft Power and Public Diplomacy in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Sandžak (2002 -2017) Union of Turkish World Municipalities (TDBB) Publications, No: 30 ISBN 978-605-2334-08-9 Book Design and Technical Preparation Murat Arslan Printing Imak Ofset Tel: +90 212 656 49 97 Istanbul, 2020 Union of Turkish World Municipalities (TDBB) reserves all rights of the book‘Turkey’s Soft Power and Public Diplomacy in Bosnia- Herzegovina and Sandžak (2002 -2017). It can be just quoted by providing reference. None of the parts in this book can be reprinted and reproduced without permission. Merkez Efendi Mah. Merkez Efendi Konağı No: 29 Zeytinburnu 34015 İstanbul Tel +90 212 547 12 00 www.tdbb.org.tr Abstract Turkey’s Soft Power and Public Diplomacy in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Sandžak Re- gion (2002-2017) As an emerging regional power, Turkey’s soft power and public diplomacy are attract- ing the attention of researchers in recent period. One of the principal elements of Turkish soft power and public diplomacy are religious diplomacy run by Diyanet, today one of the most infuential religious institutions in the Islamic World, stu- dent student exchange diplomacy run by Turkiye Burslari, and a very vibrant city diplomacy run by the different municipalities and municipality unions, among which the most prominent is the Union of Turkish World Municipalities-TDBB. For centuries Balkan peninsula was an area of interest for the Ottoman Em- pire and later for Turkey. The region serves Turkey as the only gateway to Europe. After a break during the Cold War, Turkey’s active engagement in the region has been restored. Today it is possible to say that Turkey is back in the region. It is the soft power that has been the main tool of Ankara’s influence in the region and public diplomacy lies at the core of that soft power. Public diplomacy institutions are serving as the visible face of Turkey’s policies, ambitions, goals, and vision in the region. For that reason, analysis of the Turkish public diplomacy provides a clear insight into what Turkey’s aims and potentials in the Balkans are. Özet Türkiye’nin Bosna Hersek ve Sancak Bölgesinde Yumuşak Gücü ve Kamu Diploma- sisi (2002-2017) Gelişen bir bölgesel güç olarak, Türkiye’nin yumuşak gücü ve kamu diplomasisi son dönemlerde araştırmacıların ilgisini çekmektedir. Türkiye’nin yumuşak gücünün ve kamu diplomasisinin temel unsurlarından biri bugün İslam Dünyasında en etkili dini kurumlardan biri olan Diyanet tarafından yürütülen ‘dini diploma- sidir’. Türkiye Bursları tarafından yürütülen ‘öğrenci değişim diplomasisi’, farklı belediyeler ve Türk Dünyası Belediyeler Birliği-TDBB gibi belediye birlikleri tarafından yürütülen dinamik ‘yerel diplomasi’ de Türk kamu diplomasisinin önemli unsurlarını oluşturmaktadır. Balkan yarımadası yüzyıllar boyunca Osmanlı İmparatorluğu ve sonrasında Türkiye için bir ilgi alanı olmuştur. Bölge, Türkiye’nin Avrupa’ya tek giriş kapısı duru- mundadır. Soğuk Savaş sırasında yaşanan uzunca bir aradan sonra Türkiye’nin bölgeye yeniden döndüğünü söylemek mümkündür. Ankara’nın bölgedeki etkis- inin ana aracı olan yumuşak güçtür ve kamu diplomasisi bu yumuşak gücün tam merkezinde yer almaktadır. Kamu diplomasisi kurumları, Türkiye’nin bölgedeki politikalarının, isteklerinin, hedeflerinin ve vizyonunun görünür yüzü durumun- dadır. Bu nedenle, Türk kamu diplomasisinin incelenmesi, Türkiye’nin Balkan- lar’daki amaç ve potansiyellerine açıklık kazandıracaktır. Curriculum Vitæ AUTHOR’S FULL NAME Born 9 August 1987 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina Education Ph.D. Modern Turkish History Boğaziçi University 2020 M.A. History Istanbul University 2015 B.A. History University of Sarajevo 2011 PROFESSIONAL APPOINTMENTS/EMPLOYMENT • International Relations at the International University of Sarajevo (2020- ) • Running the Balkan desk at the Union of Turkish World Municipalities (TDBB) (2017-2020) • Columnist for Anatolia Agency (2016-2018) • Senior News Editor in TRT World (2015-2016) • Co-founder and columnist in STAV Magazine (2014-2015) • Co-founder and columnist in Faktor.ba (2014-2015) • A journalist for the TRT at the representative office in Sarajevo (2014) • 2014 – Haber.ba (web portal) –writer/journalist • A journalist for the TV1 (2013-2014) • Researcher at the Center for Balkans and Black Sea Studies (BALKAR) at the Yildiz University (2011-2014) PUBLICATIONS • Article – “Turkish Local Communities and City Diplomacy with Bosnia-Herzego- vina”, Journal of Balkans and Black Sea Studies, Vol. 4. (Istanbul, YTÜ, 2020) – Waiting to be published in the Vol. 4 in June 2020. Peer-reviewed, published work in reverse chronological order • Book – ”Bosna Hersek Tarih Ders Kitaplarında Osmanlılar ve Türkler”, ed. Ahmet Şimşek in Dünyada Türk İmajı, Istanbul, Pegem Akademi-İstanbul Üniversitesi Yayınları, (2018) • Article - “Turkey’s Faith Based Diplomacy in the Western Balkans”, Rising Powers Quarterly, Vol. 3, Issue 3 (2018): 63-85 • Article – “Image of the Ottomans in Bosnian Textbooks Published After 2007”, Epiphany/Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, Volume 7, Number 2, 2014. P-ISSN 2303-6850 • Book Review: Turska: Regionalna Sila? Eds. Misa Cirkovic and Aleksandar Rakovic, Belgrade: Institut za Evropske Studie, 2013, 293 p. Review published in: Journal of Balkan and Black Sea Studies Year 2, Issue 2, June 2019, pp. 179-187. GRANTS AND FELLOWSHIPS • Turkiye Burslari Master Program Scholarship INVITED TaLKS • 2018 - ‘’Bosnia between the East and the West’’, Organized by Ortahisar Municipal- ity, Trabzon • 2017 Speaker at the panel on ’’Germany and Turkey in the Balkans’’ organized by SETA • 2017 Marmara University – Panel on Bosnian war and independence • 2015 – Lectures at TUİÇ, Istanbul based (think tank), on Bosnian History CONFERENCE PARTICIpaTION • 2014 - International Conference on WWI, the Ottoman Empire and the Balkans - International University of Sarajevo – Presentation on the Image of Ottomans in the Bosnian Textbooks • 2013- Fatih Sultan Mehmet University- 550 Years of the Trail: Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Ottoman Legacy- the organization of the symposium and presenting • 2013 - Conference and workshop on education system, history textbooks and their impact to the youth in BIH - Istanbul Bayrampaşa Municipality – Presentation about the Image of Turkey in BIH. TEACHING EXPERIENCE • 2018 – History of the Balkans and Yugoslav Wars – IDSB (Youth wing) part of the Ministry of Sport and Youth of Republic of Turkey • 2018 - Lecture – Bosnian War and Aftermath – Tugva Foundation • 2013 - Young Bosnians Association in Istanbul (GBDI)- History of Islamism in His- torical Perspective • 2012 - Teaching Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian Language at Centre for the Balkans and Black Sea Region - Yıldız Technical University. RESEARCH EXPERIENCE • Scientific Report – TÜBITAK Project No: 110K571 - Image of Ottomans/Turks in History Text Books of Balkans and Black Sea Region (Report) LangUagES • Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian/Montenegrin – Native Speaker • Turkish – Fluent • English – Fluent • Italian – Basic Level 9 To my beloved family JAHJA MUHASILOvić Table of Contents List of Tables ............................................................................................................. 14 List of Figures ............................................................................................................. 15 List of Graphics ..................................................................................................... 16 Glossary of Non-English Terms .............................................................................. 17 Abbreviations and Acronyms ................................................................................. 18 Acknowledgments ................................................................................................. 19 1. Introduction .................................................................................... 23 2. Soft Power and Public Diplomacy ........................................... 27 2.1. Soft Power ..................................................................................................... 27 2.2. Public Diplomacy ...................................................................................... 36 2.3. Cultural Diplomacy ..................................................................................... 47 2.4. Student Exchange Diplomacy ......................................................................... 49 2.5. City Diplomacy (Local Diplomacy) .............................................................. 50 3. TURKISH SOFT Power AND THE Development of Turkey’S Public Diplomacy ..................................................... 51 3.1. TIKA in the 1990s ...................................................................................... 53 3.2. Diyanet in the 1990s ..................................................................................... 55 3.3. Student Exchange Diplomacy: Scholarship Programs ................................... 55 3.4. Turkish Soft Power in the Western Balkans During the 1990s ....................... 57 3.5. Turkish Soft Power in the Western Balkans During the 2000s ...................... 61 3.6. The Emergence of TIKA in the Balkans (the 2000s) ................................... 72 3.7. Cultural Diplomacy Through Language-Teaching ....................................... 78 3.8. Turkish Cultural Diplomacy: Yunus Emre Institute in the Balkans ...............