Türkiye and Southeast Asia Relations: Quasi-Transregionalism Through Humanitarian Aid and Education

Türkiye has been pursuing a more multifaceted and multilayered foreign policy pattern since the end of the Cold War period. However, the classical multilateralism/regionalism perspective does not provide a sufficient theoretical framework for this multifaceted and multilayered foreign policy agenda. Different from this, transregionalism, and particularly a new concept that we propose, quasi-transregionalism, with its fewer demands for institutionalism and rigid rules for interactions, presents itself as a more adequate framework for understanding Türkiye’s international agenda, which represents distinctive features from its Cold War-era outlook. Within these more context-related and less institutional relationships, Türkiye aims to diversify its foreign policy partners by focusing outside of its traditional foreign policy circles, such as Southeast Asia, not only through inter-state relations but also via non-state agencies. Although Southeast Asia and Türkiye have relations dating back centuries, we can employ the lens of quasi-transregionalism to understand recent interactions, which are vibrant and high in volume. These are humanitarian aid and education diplomacy between Türkiye and Southeast Asia. In this study we aim to explore the dynamics of the multilayered and multifaceted nexus between Türkiye and Southeast Asia, focusing on the vibrant character of these two regions while integrating initiatives from both state and non-state actors. We argue that quasi-transregionalism, with flexibility to accommodate diverse types of relations across various layers and actors, offers a valuable framework for understanding Türkiye’s eclectic model, which combines both state and non-state actors in its approach to education diplomacy and humanitarian aid toward Southeast Asia.