America and the making of modern Turkey: science, culture and political alliances - 34

After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk's government encouraged substantial American investment in education and aid.

It was argued that Turkey needed the technical skills and wealth offered by American education, and so a series of American schools was set up across the country to educate the Turkish youth.

Here, Ali Erken argues that these organisations had a huge impact on political and economic thought in Turkey - acting as a form of 'soft power' for US national interests throughout the 20th century.