GLOBAL HEALTH DIPLOMACY AS A SOFT POWER AND COUNTRY EXAMPLES

This study explores the characteristics and manifestations of global health diplomacy, providing various examples that demonstrate its different applications. In this context, case studies are drawn from the USA, Switzerland, Brazil, and Turkey. While numerous scholars argue that health represents a technical area where state interests converge, this research challenges that notion; states exhibit diverse interests in their health policies, leading to a dual-mode of health diplomacy—sometimes collaborative, yet at other times adversarial—at both national and international levels, depending on the circumstances. It highlights that the tendency to utilize health as an instrument of foreign policy to protect national security interests intensifies when countries unite to tackle and combat global health challenges. The research is structured into three sections: the first part serves as an introduction, discussing public diplomacy, power and soft power, and introducing health diplomacy with relevant examples. The second section examines health diplomacy through the lens of existing literature, while the final section presents the conclusion. The study is expected to contribute to the literature in the field of global health diplomacy and soft power.