THE ORHUN EXCHANGE PROGRAM FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF CONSTRUCTIVIST THEORY OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

<span style="color: rgb(19, 19, 20); font-family: &quot;Inter Var&quot;, Inter, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">This study focuses on the Orhun Exchange Program, which was initiated as a pilot project during the 2017-2018 academic year to facilitate and manage the exchange of students and faculty among the member universities of the Organization of Turkic States, previously known as the Turkic Council (Türk Keneşi). The Program is important as it can be instrumental in fostering cooperation within the Turkic World in an era characterized by increasing transnational relations connecting societies. The study aims to analyze the Orhun Exchange Program's capacity to enhance collaboration among the member states of the Organization of Turkic States, which include Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye, and Uzbekistan. To achieve this objective, the study employs a case study methodology. It applies the relevant premises of the Constructivist Theory of International Relations (IR) to the Orhun Exchange Program by utilizing secondary resources and the author's firsthand experiences as a participant in the Orhun lecturing exchange on three occasions. Constructivism is particularly useful for examining how shared ethnic, linguistic, and cultural ties can influence cooperative dynamics among these Turkic nations through the Program, as it posits that a state's identity significantly influences its interests and behavior. The findings indicate that while shared cultural and historical ties have a positive effect on fostering cooperation among the participating states to a certain degree, significant challenges remain. These include economic and infrastructural constraints and competition from Erasmus, a well-established exchange program. In conclusion, the study highlights that although socially constructed frameworks in the sense of shared Turkic identity and culture contribute to cooperation among the Organization of Turkic States members through the Orhun Program, some material conditions act as stumbling blocks. This conclusion reveals that while Constructivism is an effective theory of IR, Realist Theory still poses an important challenge due to its focus on material factors.</span>