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Ideological Trends in the Context of Foreign Policy of Turkey Arestakes Simavoryan

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Ideological Trends in the Context of Foreign Policy of Turkey Arestakes Simavoryan Ideological Trends in the Context of Foreign Policy of Turkey Arestakes Simavoryan To cite this version: Arestakes Simavoryan. Ideological Trends in the Context of Foreign Policy of Turkey. Europe&Orient, Institut Tchobanian, In press, ”Brouillard Terroriste”: revue Europe&Orient: Revue géopolitique de l’Institut Tchobanian, pp.55-62. hal-03232994 HAL Id: hal-03232994 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03232994 Submitted on 23 May 2021 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Public Domain ASIE MINEURE Ideological Trends in the Context of Foreign Policy of Turkey Arestakes Simavoryan In recent years when Th ere are various visions of Turkey’s future Turkish political elite in the “camps” of infl uential Turkish parties of Islamist orientation and due to this the discussions round the mul- gave preference in ti-polar, contrary ideologies (neo-Ottomanism, foreign policy to neo- neo-pan-Turkism, neo-Kemalism, Turkish Ottomanism (Neo- Eurasianism) continue and are refl ected in the Osmanlicilik), this social life in Turkey. Th ose new ideologies are ideology has gradually also important for the success of the parties in become an axis of the domestic political competition. domestic and foreign policy. Neo-Ottomanism In recent years when Turkish political elite of Islamist orientation gave preference in forei- gn policy to neo-Ottomanism (Neo-Osman- licilik), this ideology has gradually become an axis of domestic and foreign policy. Th e committed neo-Ottoman state propa- ganda has formed neo-Ottoman moods in dif- ferent strata of society. Public shows great inte- rest in “Ottoman Republic” historical-fantastic A. Simavoryan feature fi lm which tells about Turkey under the Expert of the Armenian Ottoman sultan. Among the youth T-shirt with Studies Centre of the pictures of janissaries and “Th e Empire Stri- “Noravank” Foundation kes Back” inscriptions are widespread. Th e past Yerevan - Armenia is presented narrow-mindedly as the Pax Ot- toman “Golden Age” when peace, tranquility, Europe & Orient n°11 55 BBookook EEO11.indbO11.indb 5555 003/11/20103/11/2010 112:52:292:52:29 ASIE MINEURE prosperity and religious tolerance ruled During his address to the members over the Mediterranean Sea. “And such of the Justice and Development Party moods favour not accepting Turkey in November 2009 the Minister of Fo- into the European society” 1. reign Aff airs of Turkey stated that his In order to implement “big policy” country implements the policy of neo- the JDP uses many state structures Ottomanism. “Th ere is a heritage left which “educate” society in an Ottoman by the Ottoman Empire. We are called spirit. “neo-Ottomans”. Yes, we are “neo-Ot- In order to implement neo-Otto- tomans”. We are obliged to deal with manism, it is important to form ap- the neighbour countries and we even propriate moods in Muslim, and par- get to Africa. Great powers are wat- ticularly, Arab countries and in this ching it in bewilderment” 3, - he said. direction the purposeful policy is also Th en, Davutoglu clarifi ed that Tur- carried out. Th e ideology is exported key would not restrict itself to the im- to both Turkish Diaspora and Arab plementation of one idea, and it will be countries. Th e agreement between the followed by Turkey’s other ideologies of JDP and the senior educational council expansion: “Th e Ottoman Empire is a reached in January 2010 to carry out part of our history; Islam is one of the “neo-Ottoman” initiative, according elements of our culture. Th e Western to which students from Arab countries European orientation is our historical and particularly from Syria would enter experience, Turkism – the main mo- Turkish universities for free, was remar- tion” 4 – he mentioned. kable event. Th us, three main components are In our days the main architect of distinguished: Ottoman Empire – Ot- the geopolitical conception of neo- tomanism, which is interconnected Ottomanism is considered to be the with Islam; Turkism – the main ideo- Minister of Foreign Aff airs of Turkey logy of the historical self-identifi cation Ahmet Davutoglu. Th e main goals of and the simplest way to bring the Tur- this ideology are refl ected in his “Deep kic speaking nations into the fi eld of strategy”. But the roots of this ideology Ottomanism. go back to the former president of Tur- As we can see, the attempt of Tur- key Turgut Ozal, according to whom key to become a member of the EU is a Islam is the factor which unites the po- historical experience. But this does not pulation of the country and Muslims mean giving up on the western direc- on Balkans and only newly elaborated tion in their foreign policy, but it consi- ideology can unite them round the idea ders the western direction as the alter- of a common state2. Ozal did not men- native to it. Davutoglu thinks that the tion which ideology can handle those dependence of Turkey on the US and issues but he implied the aspiration of EU disturbed the balance of Turkey’s Turkey to return to the Ottomanism. foreign policy, aff ected its national and 56 Europe & Orient n°11 BBookook EEO11.indbO11.indb 5566 003/11/20103/11/2010 112:52:302:52:30 ASIE MINEURE regional interests, that is why they have Bulgaria (taking into consideration the to stand up for the Ottoman heritage. percentage of Muslim population in According to the analysts, in the fo- that countries) 6. reign policy neo-Ottomanism will be According to a number of studies, based on several principles: the leadership in Ankara will use the so- 1. Turkey is not playing a role of called integration corridors as a mean the “younger brother” of the US and to implement the policy of “neo-Otto- NATO, because this country is consi- manism”, and it will begin from Turkey. dered one of the main components of It should be based on the Turkish “soft the security of Central Asia and region. power” which has two main elements: From this the ideas of “OSCE” crea- economic might and the experience of tion in the Caucasus and undertaking democracy. mediatory functions in the Middle East Th ere are three known corridors: ensues. 1. Turkey-Syria-Lebanon-Jordan- 2. One should not think that Egypt, which later will include Israel “neo-Ottomanism” constitute menace and Palestine territories (fi rst corridor). to the West and Russia. 2. Iraq and the countries of the 3. “Neo-Ottomanism” has no ag- Persian Gulf (second corridor). gressive sides5. 3. Iran and Pakistan (third corri- According to another opinion neo- dor) 7. Ottomanism has three underlined Th e third corridor is especially re- functions: markable because it includes both the 1. To come to terms on the do- postulates of pan-Turkism and Eura- mestic issues inside the country and sianism. On the one hand Turkey will with the Muslim world (Middle East, aspire to involve Iran and Pakistan, as Balkans, North Africa). Not to position well as Afghanistan into the sphere of itself against the countries of those re- its infl uence and on the other hand the gions from the imperialistic positions. post-Soviet Turkic world – Central Asia Th e soft and balanced policy of brin- and Azerbaijan. ging the countries, which constituted In the opinion of the director of the part of the Ottoman Empire, into the Centre for the International Relations fi eld of “Ottomanism”. and Strategic Studies Sinan Ogan, Tur- 2. Turkey must carry out very ac- key is the only country which can lay a tive diplomatic and economic policy claim to modernize the Near and Mid- in order to become a key actor in the dle East and is able to “reconcile” the region. region with the West. It is obvious that 3. Th e policy of “neo-Ottomanism” Turkey not only aims to restore the bor- will allow Turkey to “snatch” from the ders of the Ottoman Empire but also to West Muslim Bosnia, Albania, Kosovo, obtain the energy resources and infras- even mainly Christian Macedonia and tructure, transportation junctions, ban- Europe & Orient n°11 57 BBookook EEO11.indbO11.indb 5577 003/11/20103/11/2010 112:52:302:52:30 ASIE MINEURE king and communication networks in derate Islamists is an American elabo- the region, which will turn the country ration and its author is the well-known into the geopolitical super power8. neocon Paul Wolfovitz10. It is not a mere Th e ambitions to become a geopoli- chance that this new policy of Turkey is tical super power are also clearly refl ec- backed by the American neocons too. ted in the January 8, 2010 address of According to the estimations of the A. Davutoglu during his meeting with experts of the leading Turkish analytical the diplomatic corps of Turkey. He centers this ideology is imposed on the particularly said that the goal of Tur- Turkish political elite by the US. It is key was obtaining the role of not only believed that it has been elaborated by a regional but of a global power which the US and “think tanks” and it pur- was promoted by its unique geographic sue long-term aims: to rule region, and position, history and diplomatic expe- particularly Arab world, through the rience9.
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