THE CONCEPT OF SOFT POWER IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND ECONOMIC EFFECTS OF MIGRATION

Abstract

States, as the major actors in international relations, pursue their interests in an anarchic international environment and attempt to acquire power to achieve these interests. The traditional perspective measures this power by the capacity to use force. However, in the post-Cold War era, the reduction in nuclear threats, the success of integrations, and the increase in technological developments have significantly reduced the potential for the use of force. The new multipolar world order builds interdependence through persuasion rather than the use of force. Within this new order, the most significant aspect of power is gauged by the normative capabilities of each country. This new phenomenon of power, called soft power, depends on the potential of countries to use their physical and moral values. The developmental disparity resulting from globalization and advances in technology has given rise to the phenomenon of migration. Managing migration and the resulting migration economy are crucial elements of soft power. This study aims to enhance the existing literature by examining the migration economy's power phenomenon within the field of international relations.