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Te Role of Diplomacy and Soft

Power in Combatting errorism-Concepts, Fighting Methods and

Case Studies


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Workshop Report

Te Role of Diplomacy and Soft Power inCombatting errorism

-Concepts, Fighting Methods and Case Studies

Te aim of this seminar is to bring together academics and practitioners who

are involved in the field of terrorism, soft power and diplomacy, and ensure thatthey interact and benefit from each other. Besides conceptual discussions onterrorism, soft power, diplomacy, the use of soft power and public diplomacy incombatting terrorism, various cases such as EA, IRA, Al-Qaeda and PKK havebeen discussed by using local information and benefiting from the contributionsof the experts.

ABSTRACT


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Table Of Contents

INTRODUCTION

INAUGURAL SPEECH

CONCEPTUAL DISCUSSIONS

The Effects of 9/11 Terrorist Attacks to the Concepts of Terrorism,

Diplomacy and Soft Power

The Security Dimension of Terrorism

Soft Power and Conict Resolution

DIPLOMACY AND THE ROLE OF SOFT POWER INCOMBATTING TERRORISM

Criminal Justice, Diplomacy and International Cooperation in the Fight

against Terrorism

Organizational Structure of the United States Department of State in use

of Soft Power

Brain Washing Activities of the Terrorist Organisations towards the Youth

and Possible Measures to be Taken

CASES

IRA

PKK

ETA

Al-Qaeda

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

EVALUATIONS AND CONCLUSION

1

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capacities with a view to being organizedat the grassroots level. Most of the newterrorist groups are initiated at transnational

or regional level. Because of their capacityto build closer and face-to-face networks,they increase their legitimacy and softpower over people. Central authorities haveclearly proven that they had more difficultyto connect with people and to develop aforce of attraction. In this context, changingsecurity perceptions in the post-Cold Warperiod facilitated a countrys relationshipwith its soft power and expanded the

space given to soft power in the countryspower ratings analysis; this power was usedin foreign policy. With the increase ofasymmetric threats at global and regionalscale, such as terrorism, states are searchingfor new methods and tools to combat thesetypes of threats. Soft power and diplomacyare seen as important elements of the statein this context.

Unconventional security threats againstthe central authority requires states touse both traditional and non-traditionalinstruments in the fight against terrorism.States have to develop new instrumentsin order to increase their legitimacy andtheir capacity to inform people about theproblems regarding illegal organizations.

Te main issues discussed at the workshop

are listed below.

1) how soft power and public diplomacycan be used effectively by multipleactors in order to prevent the spread ofterrorism and to eliminate the dangerof terrorism. Te role of diplomacy andsoft power in the fight against terrorism,

2) the contributions of diplomacy andsoft power in preventing international

support to terrorist groups,

INTRODUCTION

errorism is considered as an instrumentin the hands of weaker actors in their waragainst stronger systems such as states.During the Cold War, the threat stemmingfrom terrorist groups was insignificant whencompared to the threat of the conventionalwar. Due to the ideological nature of globalcompetition, the ethnic and religiousmovements were weak either because ofthe lack of the resources of the movementsor because they moved along ideological

lines. Tere were limited grounds for massmovements to be organized at grassrootslevel. After the Cold War, however, terroristnetworks with an ethnic or religious basehave increased their grassroots capacities.Gains from globalization and the powergap resulting from the collapse of certainregimes have left the new environmentvulnerable to different security threats.

Whereas the traditional security threatshave been diminishing after the Cold War,unconventional threats have been morecommon and pernicious. errorist groupsrelying on ethnical and cultural factorshave emerged as a threat to the stabilityof the international system. Some of theterrorist groups are transnational by natureand this fact makes it difficult for statesto fight against them. Such transnational

terrorist threats necessitate coordinationof diplomatic efforts of several states in thefight against terrorism.

As a form of unconventional threat,terrorism lead states to devise methods forfighting against it, to adapt their securityassessments and to take countermeasuresin order to overcome them. When centralstate authorities clearly start to lose their

legitimacy, non-state actors increase their


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The Role of Diplomacy and Soft Power in Combatting Terrorism

instead of top-down policies and bringing

elements of soft power into the forefront

would limit this possibility. Radicalization

and having radical opinions should be seenas different concepts and people who have

a tendency for radicalization disassociate

themselves, first from their immediate

surroundings and then from the rest of

society.

Ambassador Cengizer added that Syria

has turned into a center for illegal acts.

International cooperation is crucial in the

fight against terrorism within this scope, aninternational legal framework should be set

up for this purpose, and urkey maintains

its close cooperation with its international

partners against every form and method of

terrorism. He also expressed that diplomacy

and soft power are somewhat different: it

is possible to compensate for wrong moves

in diplomacy, whereas this is not possible

for soft power. Post-modern terrorism hasemerged after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

errorist organizations stopped being a tool

that some States use in accordance with

their political aims and became structures

that have their own economic resources and

chain of commands. Various instruments

for fighting against terrorism should be

used in a planned and coherent way within

the framework of democratic values.

3) the role of diplomacy and soft power inenhancing international cooperation inthe fight against terrorism,

4) how to isolate terrorist groups by usingthe elements of diplomacy and softpower.

INAUGURAL SPEECH

In the first session of the workshop,following the inaugural speech of ColonelIsa Aslan, Director of the Center ofExcellence Defence Against errorism(MMM), Ambassador Altay Cengizer,Director General for Policy Planning(DGPP) at the urkish Ministry of Foreign

Affairs addressed the participants as theguest of honour.

DGPP Ambassador Cengizer stated thatterrorism targets the unity and the welfareof societies and that different instruments

should be used in a balanced way againstthis challenge. Although soft power isthe most important of these instruments,strong intelligence and the assistance ofother supporting units is crucial becauseterrorist groups can establish a widenetwork of relations through the means ofglobalization and can access to technologicalinnovations. Tis may enable persons who

do not have any criminal records to turn toterrorists in a matter of weeks.

Noting that local non-governmentalorganizations and opinion leaders havepositive roles in solving the problem,

Ambassador Cengizer maintained thatsocial inequalities, lack of education andpoverty pave the way for terrorist groups togain followers. Developing strategies which

take into account the main dynamics,

When central state authorities

clearly start to lose their legitimacy,

non-state actors increase their

capacities with a view to being

organized at the grassroots level.


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countries should increase their support indevelopment aids.

Pointing out urkeys experience in thiscontext, Professor Ouzlu mentioned thePKK terrorist organization and the terroristgroups in the Middle East and stated thatin order to fight with these groups, it wouldbe right to persuade these groups or searchfor ways of cooperation with the oneswho provide support to these groups; it isnot possible to arrive at solutions simplythrough hard power; soft power need to be

used in these efforts.

The Security Dimension of

Terrorism

Associate Professor uncay Karda fromSakarya University expressed that terrorismcannot be considered as a modern issue,on the contrary it can be traced back toantiquity. Te Cold War period was an

era of terror among different powers basedon nuclear balance, and it was built ondeterrence. odays research focuses onthe roots and dynamics of terrorism. Heconsiders terrorism as an element of revoltagainst the West following the term coinedby Professor Hedley Bull. Each element ofthis revolt stems from deep philosophicaland historical roots and can be studiedunder the headings of legal, racial, economic

and cultural struggles, respectively.

Dr. Karda argued that the aforementionedlegal struggle corresponds in some way tothe struggle for equality and independence,the racial struggle in the revolt againstslavery, and the political struggle in theprocess of decolonization after the 1950s.Te economic struggle corresponds to theresistance to the exploitation of the Western

countries through global, commercial and

CONCEPTUAL DISCUSSIONS

The Effects of 9/11 Terrorist

Attacks to the Concepts of

Terrorism, Diplomacy and SoftPower

Professor ark Ouzlu from AntalyaInternational University, pointed outthat 9/11 created an intersection betweenterrorism, soft power and diplomacy.errorism is a transnational concept.errorists have spread all over the world;and they have a communication network.Such threats cannot be deterred throughtraditional methods as terrorists sacrificetheir lives for the aim they believe in and itis not easy to overcome this situation.

He emphasized that combatting terrorismhas been strengthened thanks tocooperation among the states following theemergence of public diplomacy activities.

Countries such as Russia, China and theUnited States rarely come together forsolving global problems but they cooperatewhen terrorism is concerned. On theother hand terrorism has contributed tothe development and transformation ofinternational organizations such as NAOand EU as the cogency and charm of softpower are more useful leverages in the fightagainst terrorism than pressure. He notedthat when the issue is considered fromthe perspective of Joseph Nye, persuadingopponents to cooperate is more compatiblewith todays interests. Among importantsteps taken towards counter-terrorism, itwould be purposeful to devise differentstrategies to gain the consent of theterrorists; to take into consideration howthey define themselves and that developed

Western countries and other developing


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differences may be a possible motivator inthe emergence of confrontations as muchas real differences. False perceptions canbe changed by working on them. Conflictresolution should include efforts tocomprehend peoples needs and problems.On the other hand, the definition of violenceis also significant. Conflict resolution

research predominantly concludes thatdirect violence is fundamentally based oncultural and structural elements such aswelfare distribution. Cultural violence ismore difficult to deal with compared toother types of violence and paves the way forphysical violence. Within this framework,anti-Semitism, xenophobia, Islamophobia,intolerance and radicalism are used asinstruments for legitimizing direct violence.

Besides, a power distribution exists amongtransnational agents. Tose groups whichemerge as human rights organizations,financial institutions or religious-ethnicgroups have a tendency to weaken the stateby gaining power over it in time. Examplescan be found in countries like Iraq and

Afghanistan.

Social media and the growing influence of

the public opinion have nowadays gained

financial means and the most difficultstruggle to be conducted is in the culturalfield.

Referring to Clausewitz that War is thepursuance of politics through other means,Dr. Karda stated that the most irrationalaspects of warfare can be understood andintegrated to the system. Even if terrorists

have irrational motivations and behaviorsindividually, terrorist organizations canbehave rationally. In this context, theaims of Al-Qaeda, Al-Nusra and variousorganizations are comprehensible. Teseorganizations claim to stimulate self-respect for the beliefs that they exploit.aking this into consideration, usingpolicies under different forms such as public

diplomacy will be useful for understandingsufficiently the sources of motivation of theopposite side. Reaching a solution is notpossible if expectations and fears cannot be

understood.

Soft Power and Conict

Resolution

Associate Professor alha Kse, from Istanbul

ehir University stated that perception of


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develop a common understanding in thefight against terrorism.

Mrs. Yazgan pointed out that although thereis no definition for terrorism provided by theUnited Nations, there are decisions in thisdirection. She said that even though Stateslack confidence in each other, they tend tocooperate as they perceive threats. Such aprocess occurred after 2001. urkey couldnot obtain sufficient support in the fightagainst terrorism from the internationalcommunity before that date. Additionally,PKK terrorism was often considered asa matter of human rights in multilateralplatforms. Although urkey might have hadpast deficiencies in its legal framework forcriminal justice, this does not change thefact that PKK is a terrorist organization.urkey also adopted soft power elements

as fundamental political instruments tofight against the PKK without alienatingits Kurdish citizens in any way. For exampleexpressions like Kurdish terrorism havenever been used. She also stated that theEuropean Union listed the PKK as a terroristorganization in 2002 as a result of the post-2001 threat perceptions.

Underlining the importance of international

cooperation and experience-sharing in the

even more importance. Ideas spread quicklyfollowing the democratization process andsocial protest movements can easily be

organized. As great powers weaken, thereemerges a competition among regionalactors. For instance, Iran uses Shiism,Saudi Arabia Salafism and urkey uses thedemocratization process, and such effortsof regional actors will continue to spread in

Afghanistan and Africa.

Emphasizing that all these developmentshave made soft power a more useable

concept, Kse pointed out that theconcept will assume a non-traditional rolewhen merged with influential personalityand leadership and that shared values,successful policies, respect to human values,international aid and religious groups aresome of the sources of soft power.

DIPLOMACY AND THEROLE OF SOFT POWER IN

COMBATTING TERRORISM

Criminal Justice, Diplomacy and

International Cooperation in

Combatting Terrorism

Mrs. Fatma Ceren Yazgan, Deputy DirectorGeneral for Security and Intelligence Affairsat the urkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs,expressed that diplomacy and the criminal

justice system have key roles in combattingterrorism. Te United Nations Charter andthe Council of Europe agreements whichset the international legal framework forcombatting terrorism have been drawn upthrough negotiations carried out betweenvarious countries through diplomaticchannels. As every country has a differentset of regulations, diplomacy is themost fundamental instrument to ensure

convergence between these regulations and

International cooperation is crucial

in the fght against terrorism within

this scope, an international legal

framework should be set up for this

purpose, and Turkey maintains

its close cooperation with its

international partners against every

form and method of terrorism.


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fight against terrorism, thus a documenttitled the Quadrennial Diplomacy andDevelopment Review was produced as the

first institutional step in this direction in2010. Tis document draws a frameworkon how to shape foreign policy on softpower and aims to create a consistentcapacity for civilians against terroristthreats. Accordingly, different units at theDepartment of State with the same purposegathered under the so-called J Bureau.She expressed that the J Bureau has beencreated since threats are multifaceted today,

thus strategies could be developed in acoordinated way; bilateral and multilateraldiplomacy could be conducted and efforts

and practices couldbe carried out toincrease the capacityof resident partnersin different regions ofthe world.

Stating that JBureau allows tocreate a versatile,robust and integrated

fighting system, Meyer expressed that theaim is to develop cooperation betweenall the institutions and agencies withinthe state and collaborative work culturebetween diplomats and other government

employees and to fight against terrorism inan integrated structure. She also added thatefforts aimed at maintaining civil securityand reducing poverty and unemploymentare being exerted via USAID and similarorganizations with a view to narrowingsocial grounds where terrorist organizationscould gain footholds, taking into accountthat ideological and military presence ofterrorist organizations is not limited to a

single country.

fight against terrorism, Yazgan remindedthat the Global Counterterrorism Forum,co-chaired by urkey and the United States,

was established with the participation of29 countries and the European Union in2011. Te main objectives of the forumare to strengthen the fight against terrorismby sharing experiences and reinforcing thecriminal justice approach. Educational andcollaborative projects are planned to becarried out through the Fund establishedunder the Forum. Radicalization continuesto exist in Western Europe despite all

countermeasures. errorist organizationsin Syria have strengthened also takingadvantage from the current economiccrisis environment.

Although al-Qaedalost its power in

Afghanistan, theideology influencedby this organization

has gained ground inthe Middle East. Inthis context, urkeywill continue toshare its experiencesthrough both NAO and its individualinitiatives.

Organizational Structure of the

United States Department of State

in use of Soft Power

Heidi Meyer, Political Advisor to theCommander of NAO Allied LandCommand (LANDCOM), pointed outthat the U.S. Department of State has beentrying to organize in the field of soft powersince 2010 and taken serious decisions tothat end; U.S. President Barack Obamainstructed to mainly employ soft power

elements instead of armed forces in the

As every country has a different

set of regulations, diplomacy is

the most fundamental instrument

to ensure convergence between

these regulations and develop acommon understanding in the fght

against terrorism.


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for the children and young people in orderto spread their ideology.

CASESIRA

Dr. John Morrison, academic in theUniversity of East London, stated that theGood Friday Agreement signed in 1998after a successful negotiation process heldbetween the English government and SinnFein gave the international community theimpression that peace was fully ensured

in Northern Ireland, but this processstill continues; serious fragilities are stillfelt in relations between the state and theorganization, state and the society, andorganization and the society in the region.Terefore, the ability of the parties toproceed patiently is a strategic necessity tosucceed.

Morrison, referring to the complacency of

English and Irish security forces and thechallenges faced by Sinn Fein to maintainits influence on the republican populationas among the major risks to reach absolutepeace in Northern Ireland by 2014, carriedon his analysis over Real IRA (R-IRA). It isone of the splinter organizations desiringto fill the gap in this field after renunciationof violence by the Provisional IRA (P-IRA)

organization which was the armed wingof Sinn Fein. Morrison, pointing out thatR-IRA benefited from the gap arising fromfeelings of insecurity against official securityforces in the regions where Irish people liveand from the disarmament of P-IRA whichheld the violence monopoly in the region,and accused Sinn Fein of getting away fromthe republican cause of Ireland and joiningto the British Establishment. It is essential

to perceive the developments, which can

Brain Washing Activities of the

Terrorist Organisations towards

the Youth and Possible Measures

to be Taken

David Blose, political analyst atLANDCOM, stated that defining thefight against terrorism should havepriority. Otherwise the instruments used incombatting terrorism cannot achieve theirgoals. It is necessary to have good commandof the cultures of the societies providing abase for the terrorist organizations and in

this way local actors can be incorporatedinto the efforts.

Pointing out to the fact that terroristorganizations have developed their sphere ofinfluence and activity areas at a great pace,Blose expressed that these organizationsdeployed in different regions of theworld spread their ideology thanks to theeducational programs developed especially

towards the youth. Soft power instrumentsused by states in combatting terrorism areimplemented more effectively by terroristorganizations like Al-Qaeda; schools andmadrasas in countries such as Pakistanand Syria are put to use to brainwash theyoungsters and these threats exist also inSaudi Arabia and Indonesia.

While the process of the Arab Spring is

expected to be an opportunity to promotethe values such as democracy, human rightsand the rule of law, terrorist organizationslike Al-Qaeda expanded their bases byspreading the belief that they are protectorsand securers of justice. Sabotage theeducational programs of the respectivestates; the main activities of terroristorganizations to be emphasized and foughtagainst, which could be seen as an iceberg,

are the educational programs they provide


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and that urkey, like similar examples inthe world, tried to combat PKK terrorismby approaching to the issue throughthe security prism. However, as it wasgradually understood that this method isalone not adequate, new elements, whichaimed at improving political, economicand social conditions contributing to theestablishment of the mentioned terroristenvironment, were put into effect.

Referring to the solution process in urkeywhich continues since 4-5 years for thetermination of terror activities, zerenpointed out that both PKK terror andthe ongoing solution process have certain

differences in comparison to the process inNorthern Ireland. While the armed groupin Northern Ireland is controlled by apolitical organization, there is not a supra-political structure above PKK. In addition,considering that the problem of NorthernIreland occurs in a stable and geographicallyisolated region between two countries, PKKtakes advantage of the chaotic environmentin the Middle East and directly affects at

least four different countries.

be abused by the present and possibleterrorist groups in time so as to invalidatesuch criticisms of the parties managingthe process and eliminate them. Terefore,expectations of the people forming thepotential base of these organizations shouldbe considered carefully.

PKK

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sleyman zeren, Directorof the International Center for errorismand ransnational Crime (USAM),argued that all the countries can have a graspof new details and methods by followingeach others experiences although methodsto combat terrorism and that terrorist

organizations may consist of various factorsand combinations in different countries.He also stated his belief that works forexamining the aspects of PKK terroristorganization and urkeys fight againstit can shed light on other incidents andcontribute to international literature.

zeren underlined that underestimatingor exaggerating the role of soft power in

combatting terrorism will be deceptive


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within the context of fighting EA werealso adopted after 1983 by the democraticleaders to some degree. In this regard, the

state carried out a dirty war using theirown counter-terrorist (counterinsurgency)instruments against EA in the 1980s,which hardened to refute the allegation thatSpain is a dictatorship and that the onlyresort for the Basque people is achievingindependence which is embedded in thecore of EA propaganda towards the peoplein the Basque region. Muro expressed thatthe radicalization continued in the Basque

region after the post democratic period.

Muro, noting that the state abandoned thepolicies in question almost wholly in the1990s and adopted soft methods (cross-

border security cooperation opportunitieswith the EU provided by the Maastrichtreaty, weakening the prison branch ofthe organizational resistance by dispersingthe EA convicts across separate prisons,breaking the political monopoly of EAin the Basque region by authorizing theestablishment of Basque national partiesboth in the Constitution and PoliticalParties Act which would not disturb the

national and foreign public opinion.

Emphasizing that the terrorist organizationperceives opportunities in this chaoticenvironment and has an unstable and

incoherent approach to the process, zerenstated that during this process, local andforeign circles should preserve their stresson the organizations current structurebeing a terrorist organization. zerenunderlined the fact that such an approachwill lead the organization to approach theprocess more seriously in order to shed thisreputation.

ETA

Diego Muro, Assistant Professor at theBarcelona Institute of International Studies,gave a presentation assessing the processesof EA throughout its history, a terroristorganization which has been active since1959 in the Basque region in the north ofSpain, in parallel with the democratizationprocess of Spain.

Muro, stated that when the casualtiescaused by EA are examined periodically,Spain suffered the biggest number ofkillings during the transition period towardsdemocracy between 1978 and 1983 after thedictatorship of General Franco. He pointedout that this observation conformed to thefindings in their studies related to terrorismworldwide indicating that the dictatorial or

authoritarian regimes displayed the lowestlevels of terrorism, that the probability ofterror in the institutionalized democracieswas slightly higher and that the periodswhere the risk of terror was at its highestlevel were the transition periods fromauthoritarian regime to democracy.

Te rigid policies (martial law, stateof emergency, extrajudicial execution)

implemented during the Franco period

While the process of the Arab Spring

is expected to be an opportunity

to promote the values such as

democracy, human rights and the

rule of law, terrorist organizations

like Al-Qaeda expanded their

bases by spreading the belief that

they are protectors and securers of

justice.


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their honor and hospitality, received theharshest response from the USA. Duringthe operation in Afghanistan, aliban

as well as Al-Qaeda was targeted, and asthey were forced to leave their positions in

Afghanistan after this operation, they werere-deployed in the Afghan-Pakistan borderand in the regions of Pakistan inhabited bytribes (FAA).

Expressing that the public opinion inPakistan disapproved a full-scale waragainst the Afghans and aliban ofPakistan for a long time, Aftab said thatthis approach changed at certain level asaliban also started to inflict casualties toPakistani security forces although alibancontinued to enjoy serious support fromits constituency. Aftab also argued thatthe tribes in the FAA region which has

been governed by a British special law andmilitary circulars since 1901, breed a greatdeal of negative feelings against Pakistanisecurity forces; therefore, aliban and otherextremist elements easily found support inthe region.

Aftab briefly mentioned the policies of thePakistani government in order to ensurethat soft power will accompany hard power

policies, conducted by the 140 thousand

Owing to these measures taken, thenational and foreign public opinion heldEA responsible for damaging the peace

talks which were held between 2004 and2006 and the power of the support oforganizations fervent followers has beenweakened severely. As a matter of fact,while people disapproving and approvingEAs activities were equally divided with40 % in 1998 in the Basque region, 70 %of the Basque public currently reject EAsactivities, consider them within the scopeof terrorism and start to tend towardsother parties moving away from the partiesrelated to EA.

Al-Qaeda

Dr. Rashid Aftab, Director of the RiphahInstitute in Pakistan, stated that if the 9/11attacks are considered as the beginning of

Al-Qaida terrorism, the roots of it wouldbe overlooked. He underlined that in orderto comprehend this phenomenon, it is ofcrucial to look at the period of 1979-89.

In the mentioned period, the predecessorsof Al-Qaeda and aliban elements wereidentified as freedom fighter mujahedeensby the USA during the proxy war conductedover Pakistan against the USSR, whichinvaded Afghanistan. Tey were equipped

and supported by the Pakistani intelligencewith weaponry and logistical materials fora long term. However, with the end of thewar and the collapse of the USSR, the USAleft the region on its own and aliban cameto control Afghanistan until 2001. Aftabadded that since the leadership of alibanrefused to deliver the senior leaders of

Al-Qeada, responsible for the September11 attacks, to the USA in 2001 on the

grounds that it would be contrary to

Considering that the problem of

Northern Ireland occurs in a stable

and geographically isolated regionbetween two countries, PKK

takes advantage of the chaotic

environment in the Middle East

and directly affects at least four

different countries.


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conducting an efficient fight; therefore,adoption of an effective and timelypolicy by structuring proper tools willensure the achievement of the desiredresult in the long term,

Soft power practices, collaboration withlocal NGOs as well as cultural activitieswill facilitate the transmission of theintended messages and people who

may come into contact with terroristorganizations should be employedwithin the structures in question,

Within the framework of the fightagainst terrorism, policies should bedeveloped for conflict managementand resolution, as well as for thetransformation of societies in the post-conflict period,

Te role of women should be enhancedas a soft power element in the fightagainst terrorism,

Initiatives for combatting terrorismdeveloped on multi-sided platformsshould be not be left to the responsibilityof certain countries, but supported andadopted by many countries,

A phased strategy should be defined in

the fight against terrorism; considering

Pakistani stationed in the region, to solvea problem which cost 50 thousand livesand damaged the economy of Pakistanamounting to US $ 78 billion. Te inclusionof madrasas in the national educationsystem by curriculum supplements to curbtheir control by extremist elements in theregion are examples of these efforts.

Pointing out that extreme poverty is one

of the main factors for extremist elementsin the region to gain ground, Aftabexpressed that the most effective measureagainst the ideological appeal of the Al-Qaeda and extremist elements is socio-economic development and in this respect,involvement of international assistance isrequired.

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

Te following issues were raised:

Te dynamics used by terroristorganizations to influence theirconstituency should be properly analyzedand it is necessary to engage with theseorganizations at various levels,

Use of different soft power elementssimultaneously in combatting terrorism

leads to weaknesses in terms of


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population in the US; the Clinton

administration took a great risk by

inviting Gerry Adams, the leader of

Sinn Fein, to talks by granting himthe necessary visa; but, thanks to this

initiative, it became possible to achieve

an important turning point in the

process,

Bold steps taken by a single leader/

sector/actor in a country can open the

way for a process towards terminating

terror, but this will not suffice alone

in moving the process ahead; processesdepending on the will of a single actor

run the high risk of encountering

severe vulnerabilities and being derailed

through provocations.

EVALUATIONS ANDCONCLUSION

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mesut zcan, Directorof the urkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Diplomacy Academy, outlining the above-

mentioned issues, pointed out that this

fight is a long term process requiring

strategic resilience and that they had the

opportunity through the presentations to

underline once again that necessary steps

should be taken at the right time.

COE-DA Director Colonelsa Aslan saidthat in order to take the right steps and to

use soft power effectively in this process,

the experiences of all related parties are

valuable; developing ideas by this and

similar activities will contribute catching

the right questions that need to be asked

for planning the most accurate methods;

and in this sense, the workshop achieved

its purpose.

that the results of soft power policieswill emerge in the long term resilienceshould be preserved,

Consideration should be given to thetiming of the policy implementationand inconsistencies between the formand content of the messages should beavoided,

Instead of developing counter-discoursesagainst terrorist organizations,discourses and ways of life whichwill disable the ideological discourses

of these organizations should beintroduced beforehand by implementingpreemptive and preventive policiesagainst social inequalities emerging indifferent countries,

It was noted that the United Statesallocates more budget to its soft powerpolicies and to the related institutions,seeing that the hard power policies itconducted before 2010 did not yield theexpected results,

It was a timely decision to discuss theuse of soft power in the fight againstterrorism in this workshop,

In the process of the fight againstterrorism, consistency and continuity ofthe states attitude is important for the

preservation of the faith of the people, Tere should be no misconception

that poverty is the single factor thatopens operating areas to the terroristorganizations; therefore, measuresshould be taken to counter theideological appeal of these organizations,

Te reason for the US to play an activerole during the Northern Ireland peace

process was partly the numerous Irish


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Republic of Turkey Ministry of Foreign AffairsCenter for Strategic ResearchDr. Sadk Ahmet Cad. No:8 06100 Balgat / ANKARA - TURKEYPhone: +90 (312) 292 22 30

04-diplomacy soft power report

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