Democracy Promotion and Public Diplomacy: US Efforts to Communicate with the Peoples of the Middle East in the Early Years of the 21st Century

Year 2024, Volume: 7 Issue: 1, 53 - 69, 04.07.2024

Umut Yukaruç

https://doi.org/10.51763/uid.1498429

Abstract

The attacks of 11 September 2001 led to a significant shift in the importance placed by the United States on the region of the Middle East in its overall foreign policy. The United States intervened in Afghanistan and Iraq in the wake of the attacks, and the resulting policies negatively impacted its image more than ever before. While combating terrorism, the United States also sought to engage with the people of the Middle East in order to promote democracy within the region. In addition, public diplomacy has emerged as an effective method for democracy promotion, with the objective of reaching the people of the region through the use of new communication channels. Some theories view this approach as a logical choice. However, in the first years of the 21st century, the image of the United States continued to be negative among the peoples of the region. The article discusses the role of public diplomacy as an important tool for democracy promotion and attempts to explain why the American image in the Middle East has not improved through this approach alone. To this end, it first defines the concept of democracy promotion and then analyses the potential role of public diplomacy in this context. Finally, it analyses the US public diplomacy efforts until 2005 and discusses the effectiveness of these strategies.

Keywords

Democracy Promotion, Public Diplomacy, United States, Middle East

Demokrasinin Teşviki ve Kamu Diplomasisi: ABD'nin 21. Yüzyılın İlk Yıllarında Orta Doğu Halklarıyla İletişim Çabaları

Abstract

11 Eylül 2001 saldırıları, ABD'nin genel dış politikasında Orta Doğu’ya verdiği önemde önemli bir değişime yol açmıştır. ABD, saldırıların ardından Afganistan ve Irak'a müdahale etmiş ve bunun sonucunda ortaya çıkan politikalar imajını her zamankinden daha fazla olumsuz etkilemiştir. Terörizmle mücadele ederken, ABD aynı zamanda bölgede demokrasiyi teşvik etmek amacıyla Orta Doğu halklarıyla ilişki kurmaya çalışmıştır. Buna ek olarak, kamu diplomasisi, yeni iletişim kanallarını kullanarak bölge halkına ulaşma hedefiyle demokrasinin teşvik edilmesi için etkili bir yöntem olarak ortaya çıkmıştır. Bazı teoriler bu yaklaşımı mantıklı bir seçim olarak görmektedir. Ancak 21. yüzyılın ilk yıllarında ABD'nin imajı bölge halkları arasında olumsuz olmaya devam etmiştir. Bu makale, demokrasinin teşvik edilmesinde önemli bir araç olarak kamu diplomasisinin rolünü tartışmakta ve Orta Doğu'daki Amerikan imajının neden sadece bu yaklaşımla iyileşmediğini açıklamaya çalışmaktadır. Bu amaçla, öncelikle demokrasinin teşviki kavramı tanımlanmakta ve ardından kamu diplomasisinin bu bağlamdaki potansiyel rolü analiz edilmektedir. Son olarak, 2005 yılına kadar ABD'nin kamu diplomasisi çabalarını analiz etmekte ve bu stratejilerin etkinliğini tartışmaktadır.

Keywords

Demokrasi Teşviki, Kamu Diplomasisi, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri, Orta Doğu

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