Diaspora Civil Society: The Nexus of Civil Society, Soft Power and Foreign Policy
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37241/jatss.2025.135Keywords:
civil society, soft power, foreign policy, concept mapping, relationsAbstract
Introduction: This article analyzes the connection between Civil Society, Soft Power and Foreign Policy in the rubrics of international politics. The link between the concepts hinges on the fact that while civil societies are being used as foreign policy tools, the latter is considered a significant beneficiary of the former. Moreover, as foreign policy becomes a component of soft power, the latter posits a persuasive approach to the former.
Method: This research adopts concept mapping methods to explain the mutual relationships among the three concepts. By extracting pertinent articles from the Web of Science database and creating a map, we examine and provide the foundation of our article that there are relationships among the three notions.
Results or Findings: The research found out that the trio concepts have symbiotic relations, which work in unison to promote a nation’s interest. Within these relations we concludes that Civil Society is increasingly becoming relevant as a tool in foreign affairs.
Discussion or Conclusion: In the post-COVID-19 era, civil societies have emerged as influential actors not only in domestic governance but also in advancing foreign policy objectives through soft power. Their growing involvement demonstrates the interconnection between civil society, soft power, and foreign policy. By complementing state diplomacy with cultural, humanitarian, and developmental initiatives, civil societies reinforce national influence abroad. This synergy illustrates how these three dimensions collectively enhance a nation’s global image and strategic interests in contemporary international relations.
Downloads
References
April, Y. F. (2009). Assessing South Africa’s strategic options of soft power application through civic interest groups. African Journal on Conflict Resolution, 9(1), 103-119. https://doi.org/10.4314/ajcr.v9i1.52168 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4314/ajcr.v9i1.52168
Atibil, C. (2012). Democratic governance and actors’ conceptualization of “civil society” in Africa: State–civil society relations in Ghana from 1982–2000. Voluntas, 23, 43-62. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-011-9242-0 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-011-9242-0
Bélanger, L. (1999). Redefining cultural diplomacy: Cultural security and foreign policy. Political Psychology, 20(4), 677-699. https://doi.org/10.1111/0162-895X.00164 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/0162-895X.00164
Canyurt, D. (2025). Soft power from the perspective of international relations theories. Yönetim ve Ekonomi Araştırmaları Dergisi, 23(1), 196-212. https://doi.org/10.11611/yead.1365339 DOI: https://doi.org/10.11611/yead.1365339
Carothers, T. (1999-2000 Winter). Think again: Civil society. Foreign Policy. https://ciaotest.cc.columbia.edu/olj/fp/fp_99cat01.html
Chandler, D. (2004). Constructing global civil society: Morality and power in international. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230005846 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230005846
Chang, K.-E. C., Sung, Y.-T., Chang, R.-B., & Lin, S.-C. (2005). A new assessment for computer-based concept mapping. Educational Technology & Society, 8(3), 138-148. https://www.jstor.org/stable/jeductechsoci.8.issue-3
Çiçek, A. (2022). Soft power, public diplomacy and public diplomacy techniques: A conceptual evaluation. Turkish Business Journal, 3(6), 103-119. https://doi.org/10.51727/tbj.1203804 DOI: https://doi.org/10.51727/tbj.1203804
Erdil, B. (2022). Use of smart power as an instrument of public diplomacy. Uluslararası Kriz ve Siyaset Araştırmaları Dergisi, 6(1), 247-270. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/uksad/issue/70062/1109532
Galtung, J. (1973) The European Community: A Superpower in the Making. Routledge https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003149279 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003149279
Gidron, B. (2010). Promoting civil society in third sector organizations through participatory management patterns, European Management Journal, 28(6), 403-412. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2010.06.005 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2010.06.005
Gimba, Z., & Ibrahim, S. G. (2018). A review of external factors that determine foreign policy formulation. Indo-Iranian Journal of Scientific Research (IIJSR),2(1), 119-130. https://iijsr.com/volume-2-issue-1.html
Helmys, N., & Irawan, Y. (2024). Civil society’s dual role in foreign policy: A comparative analysis of benefits and risks. Jurnal Hubungan Luar Negeri, 9(1), 22-138. https://doi.org/10.70836/jh.v9i1.50 DOI: https://doi.org/10.70836/jh.v9i1.50
Nisbett, M. (2015). The art of attraction: Soft power and the UK’s role in the world. Cultural Trends, 24(2), 183–185. https://doi.org/10.1080/09548963.2015.1031485 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09548963.2015.1031485
Inoguchi, T. (2012). Introduction to the special issue: Soft power of civil society in international relations, Japanese Journal of Political Science, 13(4), 473-476. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1468109912000229 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1468109912000229
Javonillo, R., & Martin-Dunlop, C. (2019). Linking phrases for concept mapping in introductory college Biology. Bioscene: Journal of College Biology Teaching, 45(3), 33-38. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1244695.pdf
Keck, M. & Sikkink, K. (1998). Transnational advocacy networks in the movement society. In D. S. Meyer & S. Tarrow (Ed.), The Social Movement Society, (pp. 217–38). MD: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers
Kulkova, O. S. (2021). Russian "soft power" in the North-East Africa. Politics and Religion Journal, 15(1), 105-130. https://doi.org/10.54561/prj1501105k DOI: https://doi.org/10.54561/prj1501105k
Kumar, K. (2008). Civil society, globalization, and global civil society. Journal of Civil Society, 4(1), 15–30. https://doi.org/10.1080/17448680802049562 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17448680802049562
Kusno, A. (2023). Diaspora and civil society: A commentary. Canadian Foreign Policy Journal, 29(2), 222–227. https://doi.org/10.1080/11926422.2023.2232475 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/11926422.2023.2232475
Kuts, S. (2023, December). Third sector as third power: A study of resource mobilization by Ukrainian civil society in 2022-2023. Ednannia,
Lyndon, J., Sandouka, N., & Reid, K. (2024, December). Alliance for Middle East Peace, 2024 Annual Report. ALLMEP https://www.allmep.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2024-Annual-Report_Final.pdf
Manners, I. (2002), Normative power europe: A contradiction in terms? JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, 40, 235-258. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-5965.00353 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-5965.00353
Mittag, J. (2012). Perspectives on civic engagement in national strategies to combat climate change. Democratization, 19(5), 994-1013. https://doi.org/10.1080/13510347.2012.709692 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13510347.2012.709692
Morgenthau, Hans J. (1949). Politics among nations: The struggle for power and peace. Alfred A. Knopf,Inc. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2086875
Nye, J. (2017) Soft power: The origins and political progress of a concept. Palgrave Commun 3, Article 17008. https://doi.org/10.1057/palcomms.2017.8 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/palcomms.2017.8
Nye, J. S. (2005). Yumusak güç- Dünya siyasetinde basarinin yolu (R.İ. Aydın, Çev.; 1st ed.). Elips Kitap.
Nye, J.S. (2004). Soft power and american foreign policy, Political Science Quarterly, 119(2), 255–270, https://doi.org/10.2307/20202345 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/20202345
Nye, J. (1990). Bound to lead: The changing nature of american power. NY: Basic Books. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2151022
Ogawa, A. (2009). The failure of civil society? The third sector and the state in contemporary Japan. State University of New York Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9780791494035
Ogunnubi, O., & Tella, O. (2017). Framing South Africa’s soft power through non-state sources. Strategic Analysis, 41(5), 478–495. https://doi.org/10.1080/09700161.2017.1343228 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09700161.2017.1343228
Ossewaarde, M. R. R. (2006). Citizenship in civil society? Journal of Civil Society, 2(3), 199–215. https://doi.org/10.1080/17448680601104121 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17448680601104121
Öztürk, K. (2024). Civil society and education in Turkey: The relations between the society for the dissemination of knowledge and imam hatip schools (1951-1976). Middle Eastern Studies, 61(1), 18–36. https://doi.org/10.1080/00263206.2024.2371839 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00263206.2024.2371839
Pallas, C. L., & Uhlin, A. (2014). Civil society influence on international organizations: Theorizing the state channel. Journal of Civil Society, 10(2), 184–203. https://doi.org/10.1080/17448689.2014.921102 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17448689.2014.921102
Pimparkar, A. (2023, October 3). Determinants of foreign policy. Politics for India https://politicsforindia.com/determinants-of-foreign-policy/
Pinandito, A., Didik, D. P., Yusuke, H., & Tsukasa, H. (2021). Design and development of semi-automatic concept map authoring support tool. Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced Learning, 16(8), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41039-021-00155-x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s41039-021-00155-x
Ramasamy, R. (2024). Role of civil society in post – war democracy building in Sri Lanka: Reflections and lessons. Journal of Civil Society, 20(4), 380–403. https://doi.org/10.1080/17448689.2024.2396109 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17448689.2024.2396109
Rashid, I., & Simpson, S. (2019). Civil society activism, strategic alignment and international public policy making for spectrum. Journal of Civil Society, 15(1), 62–81. https://doi.org/10.1080/17448689.2019.1565181 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/17448689.2019.1565181
Rosenberg, J. (1994). The empire of civil society: A critique of the realist theory of international relations. Verso Books.
Shah, S. H., Hasnat, H., & Rosefielde, S. (2017). Comparative analysis of Chinese and Indian soft power strategy. Asian Politics & Policy, 9(2), 268-288. https://doi.org/10.1111/aspp.12313 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/aspp.12313
Sun, J., & Li, W. Q. (2011, October 22–25). The non-government organizations' cultivation and promotion of soft power. In H. Zhang & K. Zhu (Eds.), Soft power innovation and development in today's China: Proceedings of the First International Conference of National Soft Power (pp. 61–62). Aussino Academic Publishing House.
Tiwary, B. K., & Roy, A. (2022). ‘In aid of Bangladesh’: The soft power push by Bombay’s civil society towards the liberation of East Pakistan. India Quarterly, 78(3), 476-490. https://doi.org/10.1177/09749284221108318 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/09749284221108318
Tomlinson, B. (2013, September). Working with the civil society in foreign aid: Possibilies for south-south collaboration? United Nations Development Programme. https://www.undp.org/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/migration/cn/UNDP-CH-01-Acknowledgements---Contents---Executive-Summary.pdf
Van Dijck, M.F. (2017). Democracy and civil society in the early modern period: The rise of three types of civil societies in the Spanish Netherlands and the Dutch Republic. Social Science History.41(1),59-81. https://doi.org/10.1017/ssh.2016.38 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/ssh.2016.38
Wasike, S., Kimokoti, S. N., & Wekesa, V. (2015). Connectivity between diplomacy, foreign policy and global politics. International Journal of Humanities and Cultural Studies, 2(2), 520-526. https://www.ijhcs.com/index.php/IJHCS/article/view/315/292
Wilson, R. B., & Kwon, S. (2018). The importance of position and power symmetry in international relations: The case of U.S. Foreign Policy towards North Korea. The Korean Journal of Defense Analysis, 30(2), 217-230. https://doi.org/10.22883/kjda.2018.30.2.004
Yavuzaslan, K., & Cetin, M. (2016). Soft power concept and soft power indexes. In M. H. Bilgin, H. Danis, E. Demir, & U. Can (Eds.), Business challenges in the changing economic landscape: Vol. 1. Proceedings of the 14th Eurasia Business and Economics Society Conference (pp. 395–409). Springer Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22596-8_28 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22596-8_28
Yeriemieiev, O. (2024). Civil society, civic education and public opinion in the concept of corporate liberalism by William Lyon Mackenzie King. Empirio, 1(2), 1-34. https://doi.org/10.18523/3041-1718.2024.1.2.25-34 DOI: https://doi.org/10.18523/3041-1718.2024.1.2.25-34
Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th ed.). Sage.
Yukaruç, U. (2017). A critical approach to soft power, Bitlis Eren Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi 6(2), 491-502. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/bitlissos/issue/32431/347451
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
