TMA 609 - Cultural Values ​​in International Relations

The course assumes that the fundamental basis of international relations involves nations or elements undergoing a nation-building process. This leads to discussions on the relationships between such parties. The process of nation-building is a historical issue, and the culture that constructs a nation is the result of a centuries-long process. The goal of this course is to understand the impact of cultural heritage on modern international relations, often described as underlying currents. The course will explore how cultural values, shaped by factors such as religion and economic and political developments, influence foreign policy. How much do international relations or foreign policies depend on cultural values? This course aims to answer these questions.

The course will examine the definitions of Culture, Civilization, Society, East-West, Identity, Self-Perception, Belongingness, and Nation. It will explore the dominant Anglo-Saxon culture in contemporary international relations, including the American Dream/ Hegemony, the WASP perspective, and the British Empire experience/Commonwealth. The course will also cover the French language and diplomacy as the language of 19th-century international relations, the Soviet mindset from the Russian Empire to the Neo-Russian Federation (RF), and China's historical subtle diplomacy presented through economic relations. Additionally, it will consider how German culture might have shaped international relations if they had not been defeated in the world wars. The course will investigate Turkiye's critiques and proposals for the world system as a representative of Turkish-Islamic civilization, Iran's cultural messages as a representative of Persian culture, the Zionist challenge in the context of Jewish history, and the potential for Arab resurgence represented by Hamas. It will also address local but internationally relevant elements such as the Taliban (supported by Pashtun culture), Al-Shabaab (derived from Somali local culture), and Boko Haram (emerging from Nigerian tribal responses).
Students will be assigned tasks and will be required to make presentations on certain topics. Analysis will be conducted through a question-and-answer session.