October 2011: The View From CPD

When we decided to feature Turkey’s Public Diplomacy in this month’s PDiN Monitor, the devastating earthquake had not yet hit. It seems, therefore, especially appropriate to dedicate this issue to Turkey.

In recent years, Turkey has moved center stage as a regional mediator and power broker. In 2008, the Turkish government announced plans to establish an office of Public Diplomacy to serve as a liaison between the government, NGOs, and think tanks employing a variety of tools including publications, events and television shows to inform and influence foreign publics. Its soft power appeal is significant as are its foreign policy objectives. Over the past month alone, CPD’s team of PDiN researchers tagged dozens of news stories from and about Turkey, with headlines ranging from “Is the EU Still Relevant for Turkey” to “How a Turkish Soap Opera Could Change the Middle East.” A full round up of these stories as well as coverage of the earthquake in Eastern Turkey and what they mean for Turkey’s public diplomacy can be found in this issue.

Our feature article is provided by Tugba Soysal Ozoner, a 2011 alumna of CPD’s Summer Institute in Public Diplomacy who currently works in the Turkish Prime Ministry Office of Public Diplomacy. She offers the Turkish perspective on her country’s resurgent prominence on the world stage and how Turkey views this public diplomacy opportunity.

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