International higher education as a soft power tool of Turkish foreign policy: the case of Azerbaijan

Ayça Ergun, Yasar Kondakci, Merve Zayim-Kurtay and Anar Valiyev

Third World Quarterly, 2025, vol. 46, issue 3, 372-390

Abstract: Eurasia emerged as a potential sphere of political, economic and cultural influence for Türkiye in the aftermath of the Soviet disintegration, which urged the country to redesign its foreign policy around new discourses and practices. In addition to developing economic, political and cultural ties, Türkiye instrumentalised its higher education as a soft power tool with a scholarship programme named the Great Student Project (GSP). This article aims to critically examine how international higher education is used as a soft power tool of Turkish foreign policy based on the experiences and perceptions of the first-wave beneficiaries of the GSP in Azerbaijan. The article argues that the GSP can be considered an effective tool for the consolidation of friendly relations and strategic alliances through an increased impact of soft power. However, the effective use of soft power is context dependent and necessitates proper follow-up mechanisms, consolidation of alumni networks and systematic institutionalisation.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1080/01436597.2025.2470366

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