Russia and Turkey in the 21st Century: The Dynamics of Soft Power Versus Strategic Pragmatism in the Chaos of International Relations Transformation

Abstract

The global geopolitical balance of power is rapidly transforming in the 21st century, swinging away from the Global North towards the Global South. This is affecting international relations and foreign policy as there are increasing different visions and perspectives that move away from established Western-oriented theory and practice. The result is a need to rethink such key concepts and their application as soft power, which has evolved in practice rather differently than envisioned by Nye. Using online materials in Russia and Turkey, a qualitative analysis is conducted on the quality of relations and interactions of the two countries and whether this constitutes soft power and/or strategic pragmatism. A rather nuanced result suggests that although strategic pragmatism is at the forefront of their relationship, soft power has not been forgotten and plays a complementary role in supporting a functioning relationship in difficult times.