Strategic practices of public diplomacy policies in educational field and Turkey's potential for cultural diplomacy

Public Diplomacy has become a primarily preferred strategic factor in the new international system in which strategic value of communication has grown, the concept of public diplomacy has become prominent, the accurate information and persuasion have gained importance. Unlike traditional diplomacy, public diplomacy that prioritizes affecting other countries' public opinion aims non-state actors and public opinions. These are goals of public diplomacy: Informing and manipulating foreign public opinions; increasing this effect; correcting misunderstanding and establishing the ground for a deep inter-society dialogue. Public Diplomacy management, based on mutual communication and interaction, largely benefits from the elements of soft power such as culture, education, sport and etc. for creating mutual sympathy. This paper explains the role of public diplomacy in the new century, underlines the success of strategies practiced in educational field and emphasizes on the Turkey's potential for cultural diplomacy. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.