Education as an instrument of «soft power» in the foreign policy of Kazakhstan

Abstract

Nowadays a variety of different countries including great powers, regional powers use an instrument of foreign policy such as soft power to achieve their goals in international relations. Though the economic leaders of the world do have enough amount of money to promote their languages, give scholarships for foreign students and grant loans for developing countries, the regional powers or, even more, developing countries which pursuits a goal to join the club of privileged states have to allocate funds for the soft power.
The article discusses the urgent issue of using the attractiveness potential of Kazakhstani education as an instrument of political influence in the international arena. The changes in the resource base of leadership in modern world politics are successively analyzed, the advantages and potential of the «soft power» of the Kazakhstani higher education system are examined, and existing state initiatives in the field of improving the quality and attractiveness of Kazakhstani universities are evaluated. Comprehensive modernization of the mainstream of the modern educational system at all levels is a key issue in Kazakhstan’s domestic policy. Today, higher education is based on constant, mobile work, communication, self-development and intercultural cooperation.
Key words: education, «soft power», modernization of the education system, academic mobility, foreign policy of Kazakhstan.