Türkiye’nin Bosna Hersek’e Yönelik Yumuşak Güç Politikasının Analizi (2015-2024)

Soft power is the ability of a country to influence other countries through ideological, cultural and diplomatic means without using its hard power. Thus, in the past few decades, development assistance has become an important tool for the exercise of soft power policies. By providing development assistance, countries not only contribute to the economic development of the target country but also shape a positive image by introducing their own culture, values and political interests and leaving long-term impact on the target country. In this regard, the Turkish International Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) soft power activities in B&H (B&H) have not been properly examined and researched. A review of the literature shows that existing studies, focusing on TIKA’s activities in B&H, are limited and a more in-depth analysis is needed. Therefore, the main objective of this qualitative study is to examine TIKA’s activities in B&H (2015-2024) and to evaluate the results of Türkiye’s soft power policy. This study made an in-depth analysis of TIKA reports, journal articles and other electronic sources to determine the content and scope of TIKA's projects in B&H. The impact of Turkey’s soft power activities in B&H, conducted through TİKA, has been evaluated based on the data obtained. As a result of this evaluation, it has been concluded that TİKA, as a soft power instrument, has strengthened the positive perception of Turkey among the people of B&H(B&H) and has made a positive contribution to Turkey-B&H relations.