U.S. Public Diplomacy in Turkey (1953-1961) within the Context of Wilsonian Liberal Internationalism

Abstract

This study offers a reinterpretation of United States public diplomacy in Turkey during President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s tenure (1953-1961) through the lens of Wilsonian liberal internationalism. It addresses the tendency to dismiss cultural and informational initiatives as ad hoc Cold War propaganda serving containment rather than recognizing them as components of a coherent ideological tradition grounded in democracy promotion, collective security, open diplomacy, and moral leadership. The article fills a gap in the literature by reframing Voice of America broadcasts, Fulbright exchanges, binational cultural centers, and private foundation projects as tools that combined normative aspiration with strategic calculation. Methodologically, it employs multi-archival research in the United States and Turkey, supplemented by contemporaneous Turkish and American media sources and program records, and uses process tracing to connect policy memoranda, budget decisions, audience targeting, and message design to observed outcomes. The analysis demonstrates that Turkish-language Voice of America programming fostered open information flows and public debate; Fulbright scholarships and binational centers expanded educational mobility and mutual understanding; and philanthropic development schemes linked knowledge transfer to civic participation. These initiatives simultaneously strengthened Turkey’s alignment with the United States, reinforced NATO’s southeastern flank, and diminished the social resonance of Soviet messaging. The key finding is that ideological and strategic functions were interdependent rather than hierarchical. Wilsonian commitments operated as a substantive component of Cold War statecraft in Turkey, shaping ends and means in tandem. By illuminating this reciprocity between values and interests, the study refines prevailing interpretations of American foreign policy and provides a more nuanced account of how public diplomacy influenced the evolution of Turkish–American relations during the 1950s.

Keywords

• Wilsonian liberal internationalism
• public diplomacy
• soft power
• cold war
• Turkish-American relations

Wilsoncu Liberal Enternasyonalizm Bağlamında Türkiye’de Amerikan Kamu Diplomasisi (1953-1961)

Abstract

Bu çalışma, Dwight D. Eisenhower başkanlığı döneminde (1953-1961) Amerika Birleşik Devletleri’nin Türkiye’deki kamu diplomasisini Wilsoncu liberal uluslararasıcılık merceğinden yeniden yorumlamaktadır. Ele aldığı sorun, kültürel ve enformasyonel girişimlerin çevrelemeye hizmet eden doğaçlama propaganda olarak kodlanmaya devam edilmesi; bu girişimlerin demokrasinin teşviki, kolektif güvenlik, açık diplomasi ve ahlaki liderlik ilkelerine dayanan müteşekkil bir ideolojik geleneğin bileşenleri olarak görülmemesidir. Makale, Amerika’nın Sesi yayınlarını, Fulbright değişimlerini, iki uluslu kültür merkezlerini ve özel vakıf projelerini normatif tasarı ile stratejik hesaplamayı kaynaştıran araçlar olarak yeniden çerçeveleyerek belirgin bir literatür boşluğunu doldurmaktadır. Yöntemsel olarak çalışma, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri ve Türkiye’de yürütülen çok arşivli araştırmaya dayanmakta; bulgularını dönemin Türk ve Amerikan basını ile program kayıtlarıyla desteklemekte ve süreç izleme tekniğini kullanarak politika notlarını, bütçe tercihlerini, hedef kitle seçimini ve mesaj tasarımını izlenebilir çıktılarla ilişkilendirmektedir. Analiz, Türkçe VOA programlarının açık bilgi akışını ve kamusal tartışmayı teşvik ettiğini; Fulbright bursları ile iki uluslu merkezlerin eğitim hareketliliğini ve karşılıklı anlayışı ilerlettiğini; hayırsever kalkınma girişimlerinin bilgi transferini sivil katılımla irtibatlandırdığını göstermektedir. Bu girişimler eşzamanlı olarak Turkey’nin ABD ile hizalanmasını pekiştirmekte, NATO’nun güneydoğu kanadını güçlendirmekte ve Sovyet mesajlarının toplumsal yankısını azaltmaktadır. Temel bulgu, ideolojik ve stratejik işlevlerin hiyerarşik bir düzende sıralanmak yerine karşılıklı kurucu nitelikte olduğudur. Çalışma, Wilsoncu taahhütlerin Turkey bağlamında Soğuk Savaş dönemi dış politika yapımının asli bir bileşeni olarak işlediğini ve amaç ile araçları birlikte biçimlendirdiğini ortaya koymaktadır. Değerler ile çıkarlar arasındaki bu karşılıklılığı netleştirerek çalışma, Amerikan dış politikasına ilişkin geleneksel analizleri rafine etmekte ve 1950’lerde Türk-Amerikan ilişkilerinin evriminde kamu diplomasisinin ve yumuşak gücün etkisine dair daha yenilikçi bir anlatı sunmaktadır.

Keywords

• Wilsoncu liberal enternasyonalizm
• kamu diplomasisi
• yumuşak güç
• soğuk savaş
• Türk-Amerikan ilişkileri

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