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

ERGUN ÖZBOLAT A., KONDAKÇI Y., ZAYİM KURTAY M., Valiyev A.

Third World Quarterly, cilt.46, sa.3, ss.372-390, 2025 (SSCI) identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 46 Sayı: 3
  • Basım Tarihi: 2025
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1080/01436597.2025.2470366
  • Dergi Adı: Third World Quarterly
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, IBZ Online, International Bibliography of Social Sciences, Periodicals Index Online, American History and Life, Business Source Elite, Business Source Premier, CAB Abstracts, Communication Abstracts, Educational research abstracts (ERA), Geobase, Historical Abstracts, Index Islamicus, PAIS International, Political Science Complete, Public Administration Abstracts, Social services abstracts, Sociological abstracts, Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.372-390
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Azerbaijan, Great Student Project, internationalisation of higher education, soft power, Turkish foreign policy
  • Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

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.