Türkiye’s Africa Policy under the AKP
Transition in Instruments Between Soft and Hard Power
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12797/Politeja.23.2026.103.11Słowa kluczowe:
soft power, hard power, Turcja, Afryka, AKPAbstrakt
Since the Justice and Development Party (AKP) came to power, Türkiye has relied primarily on soft power instruments in its engagement with Africa, including the export of cultural goods and educational exchange programs, and development assistance, as well as the development of economic ties supported by the private sector. Over time, these instruments were increasingly complemented by more assertive forms of engagement, particularly in the areas of security and military cooperation. The aim of this article is to demonstrate how Türkiye has combined soft and hard power instruments in its policy towards Africa from 2002 to 2025. For this purpose, the transformation of foreign policy instruments was analyzed, divided into three phases: (I) Normative legitimation of Türkiye’s presence in Africa, (II) Structural economic anchoring of Türkiye in Africa, and (III) Security projection of Türkiye’s Interests in Africa. The research hypothesis assumes that soft power instruments have played a key role in establishing the long-term foundations of Türkiye engagement in Africa, which were subsequently complemented by growing security and defense cooperation.
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