Turkey’s soft power assets in peacekeeping operations

Abstract

The concept of power has always been a complex term and debated by numerous academic schools. The end of the Cold War and the occurrence of a new multilateral international environment resulted not only in new power structures, but also in new problems and conflicts. Therefore, understanding the new power structures and evolving nature of international conflicts has become necessary in order to establish a stable and secure environment. Located in a geographical position where there are various types of conflict, Turkey stands as a leading figure, acting as both a regional soft power and an important contributor to peace operations. In this sense, this thesis explores the concepts of soft power and peacekeeping and the effects of Turkey’s soft-power assets, using peacekeeping operations in Afghanistan as a case study.