A Comparative Study of Iranian and Turkish Cultural Diplomacy in Iraq (2003 to 2020)

International Journal of Political Science

مقاله 4، دوره 12، شماره 4 - شماره پیاپی 36، مهر و آبان 2022، صفحه 51-69   

نوع مقاله: Original Article

نویسندگان

Parisa Pourali¹؛ Mohammad Reza Dehshiri^{* 2}؛ Mohamadreza Ghaedi³

¹Department of International Relations, Kish International Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kish Island, Iran

²Faculty Member, Department of International Relations, Faculty of Foreign Affairs, Iran

³Faculty Member, Department of Political Science and International Relations, Shiraz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shiraz, Iran

چکیده

The purpose of this study is to conduct comparative review of Iran and Turkey’s cultural diplomacy in Iraq after the US invasion and the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime. Iran and Turkey, as two influential powers in the developments of the Middle East, are trying to advance their cultural diplomacy in Iraq according to the nature of their government, goals, and aspirations. The main question of the research is, “On what approach are the effectiveness factors of Iranian and Turkish cultural diplomacy in Iraq between 2003 and 2020 based?” The hypothesis is that Iranian cultural diplomacy in Iraq after 2003 has been following Shi’ism, the axis of resistance, and Iranianism as the cornerstones of its approach, as opposed to Turkish cultural diplomacy that is based on Turkish nationalism and neo-Ottomanism. Accordingly, each of these governments is trying to exert influence in Iraq using soft power and cultural diplomacy. In doing this, Iran and Turkey have different conditions, opportunities, threats, and tools to advance their cultural diplomacy. The research findings indicate that Iran is in a better position than Turkey in terms of conditions, opportunities and tools but the focus on Shiism and the issue of resistance in Iraq has led to little attention paid to other features of cultural diplomacy. In contrast, Turkey, with its benefit-oriented and opportunistic approach, has been able to make the most of tools such as Kurdish language and literature, media diplomacy, tourism development, scientific and educational topics, etc. through careful planning and has gained more influence in Iraq. The method of data analysis is descriptive-analytical and the data collection was carried out via library research.

 

کلیدواژه‌ها

Cultural Diplomacy؛ Soft Power؛ Iraq؛ Iran؛ Turkey؛ Neo-Ottomanism