Also have different branches, and each branch has a role in representing students’ talents. For example, the United States and Turkey can send students to study abroad in their countries. Lee describes how the American government generates revenue from tuition fees, privatizing higher education, and leveraging education as an economic multiplier. With a range of cultural programs, students can express their opinions and learn together. For instance, the United States can open cultural/information centers where Turkish people can have access easily to the centers 24/7.
Moreover, those who are knowledgeable in cultural fields can work at these centers to teach Turkish students in English and vise-versa. These cultural centers can be opened at schools and universities through the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Purtas supports that ‘UNESCO primarily utilizes educational and cultural reforms to foster an ingrained collaboration and peace between people.
Yet, for the Turkish government to rebuild its homeland after the coup attack, the Turkish leaders should open their doors for the American government to help rebuild their country.
Albright and Hadley describe that one of the options that Washington has is privately encouraging Ankara to improve its secular educational system with new initiatives that recognize other cultures as well. Having a new educational system can help Turkey circumvent radical movements similar to those that happened a couple of years ago. Another step that Washington should take is to persuade the Turkish Department of Education to close down all the institutions that were founded by Gulen, which will be important to protect Turkey from another one of Gulen’s schemes (“Freedom in the World”).
This way, Gulen will not influence students to become the state’s enemies, especially at universities.
The plan of cultural diplomacy via the educational system is to advocate for students’ self-awareness as Turks. Correspondingly, they can maintain and manage their commonalities with the American students. The Turkish religious identity is also important for them as a matter of pride; this is how public diplomacy works in the world where the international community engages together. The goals of cultural diplomacy are to mark Turkey as a modern and globalized nation in the international arena like other NATO and EU members; also, it is to help the United States to gain its public trust again from the international community as well as from Turkey. Focusing on the educational field can help Turkey to build nation-branding to democratize the country for all Turkish people. Some political scientists define that nation-branding is a process through which states share information to influence the attitude of international target markets and focus on a state’s image holistically in the international arena by covering topics in political, economic, and cultural dimensions (Cagri 3).
Following this approach, the cultural diplomacy campaign is to strengthen nation-branding through the international relationship between Washington and Ankara. In the same light, the United States and Turkey’s nation-brandings are important because they need to support each other to build successful institutions. Therefore, educational diplomacy can trace back resemblances of both nations to build strong public diplomacy that was broken in the past. After post-9/11 and the Kurdish coup incidents, both countries’ public diplomacies experienced drastic changes in many aspects. Yet, it is not an end for Washington and Ankara to discontinue their diplomacies with other nation-states. To a lesser degree, both the United States and Turkey can leverage the importance of having public diplomacy.
Cagri grants that cultural diplomacy can re-bridging the applications of geopolitics for democracy in Turkey. Cultural diplomacy will not only share bilateral relations with the United States, but also have global implications, as well as the future outcomes of cultural diplomacy, which entail the United States as an independent country that builds a better community for all. Introducing cultural diplomacy in Turkey can re-image the United States as a democratic nation that engages culturally, economically, politically, and socially. Focusing on the educational system in Turkey alone shows that the Turkish government has ‘accomplished many significant achievements in overcoming its… struggles for sovereignty, strengthening their common cultural ties, and promoting [Turkey] globally’. These are some of the positive sides of the cultural diplomacy campaign through education.
As can be seen by engaging in cultural diplomacy, education hubs chase to utilize inspiration on the international stage. The United States is a diverse country with colorful culture, ethnicity, and society that can also seek to exert influence and share its uniqueness with other states for democratization. Dutta-Bergman analyzes that the United States has gained diplomatic trust about 76% of trustworthiness from the Muslim countries, including Turkey. This result shows that the cultural diplomacy campaign works significantly in strengthening diplomatic relationships with the international community. In this sense, the aspiration of the people in Turkey for democratization is presented as a success to Western interests such as the EU and NATO, and the United States as a strong partnership. Purtas theorizes that the Turkish government has effectively enforced policies to sustain peaceful coexistence and contributed immeasurably to the restoration, preservation, integration, and promotion of the Turkish people’s culture in the international state.
Washington’s public diplomacy campaign has integrated the Turkish government and the citizens to support their country’s constitution. Cultural diplomacy campaign encourages both Americans and Turks to practically interact with each other for long term relations and create a proper ground for educational opportunities. In conclusion, with all of these outcomes, the United States should continue spreading its democratic system among the Turkish people. Reestablishing the new public diplomacy with Ankara has effectively established a new environment in Turkey, where the younger generations like students can contribute by campaigning with other American students through cultural diplomacy. Moreover, cultural diplomacy is a strategic countrywide program for public diplomacy. There are numerous strategies that both countries can plan in supporting each educational program that can benefit students.
While having pen-pals, students also can study abroad with affordable tuition fees. Those who are professionals can share their knowledge and experience with other foreign experts. Also, cultural/information centers have advantages for students who want to learn about other cultures and customs. Politically, Turkey can reform its governmental system from a democratic parliamentary republic system to a fully democratic system. On this success, the United States also can reduce its hegemony and increase public trust from the Muslim countries. There are positive impacts of the cultural diplomacy that practices in the educational field; it not only creates awareness among students, but also among political leaders in practicing open political systems for free and fair governments.
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