The Political, Economic and Cultural Influences of Neo-Ottomanism in Post-Yugoslavian Countries
POLSKA AKADEMIA UMIEJĘTNOŚCI TOM XXVI STUDIA ŚRODKOWOEUROPEJSKIE I BAŁKANISTYCZNE 2017 DOI 10.4467/2543733XSSB.17.026.8324 DANUTA GIBAS-KRZAK Jan Długosz University in Częstochowa THE POLITICAL, ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL INFLUENCES OF NEO-OTTOMANISM IN POST-YUGOSLAVIAN COUNTRIES. AN ANALYSIS ILLUSTRATED WITH SELECTED EXAMPLES Key words: neo-Ottomanism, Islamic terrorism, Turkish policy, post-Yugoslavian countries, religious fundamentalism, the Balkans, economic influence, Islamization. An ideology of neo-Ottomanism, which has become part of the Turkish foreign policy in the 21st century, dates back to the period of the rule of the Ottomans in the Balkans. However, it is difficult to distinguish Islamization from the influence of Turkish factors, but other Muslim countries are also active in the Balkans, for example, Saudi Arabia or Iran. In the 21st century, Muslim inspirations in many areas of life are noticed in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia (and in the strict sense in Bulgaria and Greece). The goal of this analysis was to show expansion of Turkish policy, defined as neo- -Ottomanism, in post-Yugoslavian countries, and its effect in the spheres of political, economic and cultural life. Therefore, the following question must be asked: do Turkish influences contribute to the specific culture of European Islam, of which goal, despite pre- vailing Islamophobia, is to disseminate ideals of tolerance between nations and religions? Does the Turkish capital contribute only to the economic development of post-Yugoslavi- an countries through investments? On the other hand, the reactivation of neo-Ottomanism may contribute to the development of radical tendencies, including religious fundamen- talism, which is, in many aspects, pose a threat to post-Yugoslavian countries.
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