Kinship and Disporas in Turkish Foreign Policy: Examples from Europe, the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean

The research paper analyzes the shift in Turkey's diaspora policy from treating migrants as a liability to viewing them as strategic assets for 'nation-branding' and public diplomacy. It focuses on Germany as a primary hub for these interactions, detailing how the AKP government uses institutions like the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB) and the Diyanet to mobilize loyalists while monitoring and suppressing dissidents. The authors argue that these extraterritorial measures, including transnational election campaigns and surveillance, have strained Turkey's diplomatic relations with European host countries and exacerbated polarizations within the diaspora community.

• Under the AKP government, Turkey shifted its diaspora strategy from 'nation-hiding'—where migrants were viewed as a liability to the country's image—to a 'nation-branding' strategy that treats the diaspora as an asset and 'brand ambassadors' for the 'New Turkey'.
• The AKP's diaspora governance extends beyond Turkish citizens to include 'kin communities' in the Balkans, Central Asia, and other former Ottoman territories, influenced by a neo-Ottoman ideology.
• The extension of external voting rights since 2012 has transnationalized Turkish election campaigns, leading to diplomatic tensions in Europe due to the use of anti-European and populist rhetoric during rallies.
• Turkey has employed extraterritorial authoritarian measures in Germany and other European countries, including the use of state-linked imams and loyalists to monitor and spy on dissidents, particularly members of the Gulen Movement.
• Recent migration flows to Germany, driven by the 'authoritarian turn' after 2013 and the 2016 coup attempt, include a heterogeneous group of academics, diplomats, and political activists, which has altered the balance of power and increased contention within the existing diaspora.
• The Turkish state's diaspora policies have triggered a resurgence of debates in host countries regarding 'dual loyalties' and the failure of integration, particularly after the 2017 referendum where 63.07% of registered voters in Germany voted 'YES'.

APA

Baser, B., & Ozturk, A. E. (2019). Kinship and Disporas in Turkish Foreign Policy: Examples from Europe, the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://files.prio.org/Publication_files/Cyprus/KinshipsAndDiasporas/CHAPTER%203%20Turkey%E2%80%99s%20Diaspora%20Governance%20Policies%20and%20Diasporas%20from%20Turkey%20in%20Germany%20A%20Critical%20Reading%20of%20the%20Changing%20Dynamics%20by%20Bahar%20Baser%20and%20%20Ahmet%20Erdi%20Ozturk.pdf

Chicago

Baser, Bahar, and Ahmet Erdi Ozturk. Kinship and Disporas in Turkish Foreign Policy: Examples from Europe, the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2019. https://files.prio.org/Publication_files/Cyprus/KinshipsAndDiasporas/CHAPTER%203%20Turkey%E2%80%99s%20Diaspora%20Governance%20Policies%20and%20Diasporas%20from%20Turkey%20in%20Germany%20A%20Critical%20Reading%20of%20the%20Changing%20Dynamics%20by%20Bahar%20Baser%20and%20%20Ahmet%20Erdi%20Ozturk.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Baser |first1=Bahar |last2=Ozturk |first2=Ahmet Erdi |title=Kinship and Disporas in Turkish Foreign Policy: Examples from Europe, the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=2019 |url=https://files.prio.org/Publication_files/Cyprus/KinshipsAndDiasporas/CHAPTER%203%20Turkey%E2%80%99s%20Diaspora%20Governance%20Policies%20and%20Diasporas%20from%20Turkey%20in%20Germany%20A%20Critical%20Reading%20of%20the%20Changing%20Dynamics%20by%20Bahar%20Baser%20and%20%20Ahmet%20Erdi%20Ozturk.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{baser2019kinship, author = {Baser, Bahar and Ozturk, Ahmet Erdi}, title = {{Kinship and Disporas in Turkish Foreign Policy: Examples from Europe, the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2019}, url = {https://files.prio.org/Publication_files/Cyprus/KinshipsAndDiasporas/CHAPTER%203%20Turkey%E2%80%99s%20Diaspora%20Governance%20Policies%20and%20Diasporas%20from%20Turkey%20in%20Germany%20A%20Critical%20Reading%20of%20the%20Changing%20Dynamics%20by%20Bahar%20Baser%20and%20%20Ahmet%20Erdi%20Ozturk.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }