EU s negative public opinion on Turkey s EU accession in almost all member countries - even if quite heterogeneous in the different nations in terms of the extent reveals that Turkey s EU bid is first and foremost a public affair; the official support by the political leadership of a clear majority of countries might not suffice in this regard. This thesis therefore makes the case that Turkey suffers from image problems that can become meaningful/ decisive for the entire accession process. This research project first chooses a Nation Branding perspective to this problem to provide innovative insights for the understanding of Turkey s EU situation by a multidisciplinary analysis of Turkey s multi-faceted historic and contemporary image(s). This approach should contribute to better differentiate and contextualize the partly rather shallow category of public opinion. The following Public Diplomacy approach towards Turkey s EU accession reveals great potential both in terms of (political and organizational) structures and contents. For the purpose of investigating Turkey s public diplomacy spectrum, an analytical framework consisting of the dimensions purpose , time , domain and channel was developed from the (emerging) literature. The analysis of Turkey s Public Diplomacy potential promises a broad array of relevant strategies, dimensions and tactics. With regard to structures and conditions of Turkey s Public Diplomacy, above all missing organizational and institutional embeddings are identified as core problems, leading to a lack of coordination mechanisms for the activities by governmental and non-governmental actors. An evaluation of contemporary and past Turkish Public Diplomacy activities by individual actors or institutions confirms this finding. Furthermore, Turkey s Public Diplomacy s potential channels are investigated with regard to their effectiveness, their interactivity and their time horizons, with some managerial recommendations deducted accordingly. Also, this thesis surveys the different contents and dimensions of Turkey s public diplomacy. The area of tourism reveals an interesting paradoxical relationship between growing numbers of visitors which seem not to contribute to a more positive reputation of the country s EU membership application. Similarly insignificant for the European public opinion formation seems Turkey s positive economic development. Performance and behavior of Turkey s government is furthermore detected as a substantial challenge for Turkey s Public Diplomacy strategies as is the particular role Turkey s dominant Islamic religious orientation plays in the EU accession context. Promising potential is moreover found in the promotion of contemporary Turkish (pop) culture and in attractive international events. Finally, the crucial significance of internal Nation Branding processes is underscored in the light of Turkey s EU accession threatened from dropping support by the population.It is concluded that Turkey s current Public Diplomacy activities and organization will not suffice to substantially improve its reputation in the EU. Regarding more recent phenomena it is furthermore observed that Public Diplomacy and Nation Branding approach a 2.0 state, i.e. they develop primarily civil society dialogues and relationships in the wake of bottom-up -strategies. Turkey s current society might not (yet) be ready to follow. Attempting to contribute to the developing theory of these emerging research streams the sister concepts of Nation Branding and Public Diplomacy are investigated in terms of their definitional status and embedded into their wider contexts of political science and marketing. The thesis also tries to put some fundamental, partly apparently also ideologically motivated debates around this application of brand techniques and terminology into perspective looking at currently broadening branding discourses and approach some resolutions. A more extensive summary can be found right at the beginning of the thesis.
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