TURKEY’S POSITION AT EUROPEAN UNION
AND
TURKISH IMPRESSION IN GERMANY
Introduction
Countries tried to show their power and sovereignty with hard power. But now we are living in a century that soft power can be more powerful than hard power. Cultural diplomacy is one of the strongest soft power items of last century. With right strategy of cultural diplomacy, a new image of a country can be created at other countries. This can affect so many statistics of a country in a positive way, such as tourism and trade.
There are still many countries which are not aware of the strength of soft power and cultural diplomacy. In the other hand there are countries which are aware of this strength and it is easy to see how they are successful to create an impressive image. United Kingdom, Germany and United States can be three examples to see success and power of cultural diplomacy.
Turkey has been trying to attempt to European Union since so many years. All of attempts were not successful. What can be the reason for that? , Culture? , Impression of Turkey? , Politics? , Population? , Economics? , Religion? Or another question can be asked is, what is Turkey’s image at European Countries?
What is Culture?
The origin of the word “culture” in Latin “cultura” is a modern concept based on a term first used in classical antiquity by the Roman orator, Cicero: “cultura animi.” The term “culture” appeared first in its current sense in Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries, to connote a process of cultivation or improvement, as in agriculture or horticulture. In the 19th century, the term developed to refer first to the betterment or refinement of the individual, especially through education, and then to the fulfillment of national aspirations or ideals. In the mid-19th century, some scientists used the term "culture" to refer to a universal human capacity. (1)
There are plenty definitions of culture but all of them refers to common history, common likes, common...