Strategic Communication and Policies of Turkiye.

• Author: Goksun, Yenal

Introduction

Turkiye has become an important actor with its rising role both in its region and at the global level in the last two decades. The country's democratic transformation initiatives, economic development, expansion of its foreign policy, and improvements in education, health, and social policies have all produced stories that need to be told to the national and international public. In response to this need, Turkiye is creating a new communication strategy and model that reflects its own values.

This commentary aims to illustrate the transformation and institutionalization process of Turkiye's strategic communication activities and its new communication model. Starting with a broad discussion of the concept of strategic communication, it examines the transformation of Turkiye's strategic communication perspective from the past to the present. The institutions responsible for designing strategic communication, their areas of responsibility, the goals of strategic communication, and its tools and methods over time are discussed. Finally, the Directorate of Communication, which represents the institutionalization of strategic communication in Turkiye, is evaluated under three topics (humanitarian diplomacy, strategies of combatting terrorism, and disinformation) that constitute the fundamental pillars of Turkiye's communication strategy. The commentary concludes by examining the values and meanings that are produced by the proposed 'Turkiye Communication Model.'

The Evolution of Strategic Communication

Strategic communication has long been used as an equivalent to the concept of public diplomacy. The first conceptualization of the term public diplomacy was coined by Edmund Gullion in 1965, although public diplomacy practices date back even earlier. (1) Throughout history, countries have followed policies to create a positive image and develop good relations with other countries.

According to Christopher Paul, strategic communication is a novel concept that has started to be discussed in the U.S. since the beginning of the 2000s. (2) Paul elaborates on the concept of strategic communication as "coordinated actions, messages, images, and other forms of signaling or engagement intended to inform, influence, or persuade selected audiences in support of national objectives." (3) Zaharna's definition of the term also points to a communication initiative designed and implemented to achieve a predetermined goal. (4) Accordingly, every communication process may not be based on a strategic target, so the most important feature that distinguishes strategic communication from other communication types is that it is carried out in line with a target, but in line with a strategic target. From this perspective, public diplomacy can be defined as the strategic communication of states or non-state actors in the international political arena.

When the International Journal of Strategic Communication began its publication in 2007, strategic communication has begun to rise as an autonomous research area. In the first issue of the journal, Hallahan introduced the notion of strategic communication as "the purposeful use of communication by an organization to fulfill its mission." (5) In this definition, Hallahan focused on the difference between integrated communication and strategic communication, which is especially important for corporations. Organizational communication broadly analyzes the numerous processes involved in how people interact in complex organizations. But strategic communication focuses on how the organization presents and promotes itself through the deliberate actions of its leaders, employees, and communicators. Strategic communication's primary goal is to purposefully impact the target audience.

According to Paul, there are four core elements of strategic communication: informing, influencing, and persuading are important; effectively informing, influencing, and persuading requires clear objectives; coordination and deconfliction are necessary to avoid information fratricide; and actions communicate. (6)

Considering the emergence of the concept of strategic communication and its relationship with other concepts, it is seen that its boundaries are still unclear and that it is in exchange with other disciplines. How states define strategic communication in this period is directly related to their perception of the threat they face and the strategies they develop. As countries move from an era of minor conflicts to a new geopolitical landscape dominated by major powers, the conversation about defining strategic communications will persist. (7)

As Nothhafta, Werderb, Vercicc, and Zerfass argue, despite challenges in defining its fundamental principles, core perspectives, benefits, and added value, the strategic communication concept continues to thrive. However, there is a significant discrepancy between practical, academic, and institutional success on the one hand and theoretical stringency on the other. (8) Therefore, this paper is also a humble contribution to attempts to develop a new perspective on the practice and theory of strategic communication.

Strategic Communication in Turkiye

Today, strategic communication activities in Turkiye are carried out by the Directorate of Communications, but systematic communication activities in the country can be traced back to the last period of the Ottoman Empire. As the first example of this, the Directorate of Press (Matbuat Mudurlugu) was established under the Ministry of Education (Maarif-i Umumiye Nezareti) in 1862. With the first Press Regulations (Matbuat Nizamnamesi) issued in 1864, the duties of the Directorate of Press were noted. However, during the national war, while the Directorate of Press continued to exist in Istanbul, it became necessary to go to a new structure under the umbrella of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, which was established in Ankara on April 23, 1920.

The "Law on the Organization of the General Directorate of Press and Intelligence" (Matbuat ve Istihbarat Muduriyet-i Umumiyesi Teskiline Dair Kanun), dated June 7, 1920, written by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk to ensure the success of the national war, to ensure the belief of the nation, and to explain the struggle with the unity and solidarity of the nation at home and abroad. The General Directorate of Press and Intelligence was established under the Grand National Assembly of Turkiye and at the same time directly reporting to the Chief of the Executive Board. This institution was established to monitor and examine the world press, publish newspapers within the country, ensure intellectual and psychological unity, and have reporters all over the country by preparing easily understandable publications about the problems of the country. (9) Contributing to the various needs of Anatolian newspapers, the institution incorporated Anadolu Agency on June 7, 1920. Bulletins following the outside world and books were published in Turkish and various foreign languages. In the mid-1930s, a total of 1,583,802 pieces of promotional and propaganda material, such as magazines, books, brochures, and photographs, were distributed. Therefore, the institution concentrated on the promotion of the Turkish revolution with visual materials within the determined framework. (10) Subordinate to the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkiye and the Prime Minister, the institution was named Directorate General of Press and Information with the Decree Law No. 231 dated August 8, 1984.

The Directorate General of Press and Information became an institution where Turkiye's strategic communication activities were carried out. Among the responsibilities of the institution were activities such as informing internal and external public opinion, creating a strategy, and countering propaganda. The primary mission of the directorate was to assist in the determination of the state's policy of publicity and strategies to be applied by the government in the fields related to publicity and to ensure that the public and the relevant authorities are enlightened with timely and correct information and the enlightening and promotional information required for these activities. (11) This perspective focused on the message and the transmission of the message, as it contained more of an informative task. It adopted a onesided information flow perspective. It is positioned closer to the perspective of public relations, as it had a duty to inform the public. However, it targeted not only domestic but also foreign public opinion. Therefore, it can be said that it had a public diplomacy vision.

The directorate was also responsible for following and evaluating propaganda activities against Turkiye and cooperating with responsible public institutions to counter propaganda. It aimed to direct Turkiye's external informational activities and cooperate with organizations such as public institutions, private sector organizations, professional organizations, and associations for this purpose. Participating in informative activities in foreign countries in line with Turkiye's interests, the directorate was contributing to information campaigns in a way to support Turkiye's foreign policy. The responsibility areas of the institution mostly cover information campaigns, and it acts strategically because it cares about cooperation and coordination with other institutions.

With the circular published in the Official Gazette on January 30, 2010, the Prime Ministry Office of Public Diplomacy was established, and an institutionalization process continued that would determine the framework of Turkiye's public diplomacy activities. The primary...