Skip to main content

Turkish image abroad slumps

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s international popularity is plummeting with incompetent public diplomacy.
turkey_potential.jpg

The Prime Ministry's Office of Public Diplomacy (PDO) announced on its website Sept. 28 that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had revealed Turkey’s new logo and slogan, “Discover the Potential,” saying, “In humanitarian and emergency aid Turkey ranks third in the world now, following the United States and the United Kingdom.” Cemalettin Hasimi, the coordinator of the PDO, shared the news on his Twitter account, adding that Turkey is hosting 1.5 million refugees. The question is whether Turkey’s reputation in the international arena benefits from the governments media machine in light of the country's political, social and financial challenges.

A quick look at Hasimi’s Twitter account, as well as that of the PDO and its website, begs the question whether Turkish public relations works toward strengthening Turkey’s global image or rather support Erdogan and the Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) reputation domestically. Many pundits are saying that Turkey is becoming further isolated in international politics.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.