Neo-Ottomanism



ETYEN MAHÇUPYAN
e.mahcupyan@todayszaman
http://medya.todayszaman.com/todayszaman/columnists/e-mahcupyan-b.png
Neo-Ottomanism
The Justice and Development Party’s (AK Party) eagerness to consider democratic reforms surprised many and was dubbed “civilian guardianship” by secular and Kemalist circles.

They argue that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan views himself as an Ottoman sultan and is consolidating his rule by clearing the public sphere of military domination. This approach and discourse further argues that Turkey had been moving towards a dictatorship rather than a state ruled by Shariah law. However, the irrelevance of this discourse to the reality of the situation has limited its influence and impact.
During this process of reform, the AK Party government’s foreign policy has significant changed. The party has pursued a policy that promotes regional and global peace and sides with common people and justice in cases of conflicts. Those who failed to perceive this social influence behind the AK Party and instead see foreign policy as a power struggle have become concerned about the government’s approach. They argue that these tactics represent a neo-Ottomanist strategy and that Turkey is seeking to establish some sort of guardianship in the region.
The government reacted strongly to this assessment. Most recently, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said: “The notion of neo-Ottomanism is not innocent; they have deliberately used this term in an attempt to reduce our influence in the Balkans and to intimidate people.” Davutoğlu is right. Neo-Conservatives rely on distracting other nations in this way. Still, it is impossible to deny that Turkish foreign policy is adopting a globalist approach by distancing itself from the classical style of a republican regime.
If anyone expects Turkey to act like a classic nation-state, they need to realize that this will not happen and that Turkish foreign policy design will be generated out of a neo-Ottomanist style. Davutoğlu does not want to call it neo-Ottomanism because he relies on a stance compatible with the democratic and moral values of the current global world rather than the Ottoman state. The reference to Ottomanism is actually attributable to the current government’s decisiveness over distancing itself from the style of foreign policy followed by a Kemalist regime.
However, the application of neo-Ottomanism does not end there. This notion is fairly compatible and consistent with the point of view held, for instance, by Anatolian businessmen, Islamic foundations, human rights associations and conservative generations. In other words, neo-Ottomanism is a fairly useful term in identifying the state of mind of Turkish society as well as Turkish foreign policy because there is a large group of people who are greatly confident, eager to make the land beyond Turkey’s geographical boundaries important in their individual lives, ambitious to learn about history and ready to take a conscious look at social issues. This sociological synthesis behind the AK Party seems eager to overcome the restrictions implied by a republican regime. This requires a merger of authentic, traditional references with the universal approach of the current age. This universal point of view was introduced to Turkey through the EU’s membership criteria. However, the republican regime had left nothing in terms of traditional references outside of religion because as a shallow ideology, Kemalism has never really gained significance in society. However, religion does not provide an adequate ground on which to identify rights and freedoms. In addition, any religious interpretation cannot possibly embrace a pluralist structure as exists in Turkish society.
Turkey, however, in opening up to the world, relies on a tradition that encompassed the world in the past. In other words, the citizens of Turkey base their acts on an historical legacy, as if they were once citizens of the world. The AK Party has played a role that emphasizes this legacy. These “new” religious people of Turkey have transcended the legacy of the republican era through this government, resulting in a globalized point of view, which could be called neo-Ottomanism, being brought into their lives.
This refers to a sort of cosmopolitanism. The Ottoman legacy implies not only a desire for playing a primary role in world politics but also an approach that emphasizes the Islamic identity while still recognizing identities as well. In the end, the exclusive use of an Islamic identity is still an issue. However, it is also hugely important that pluralism is now considered by Turkish society to be something valuable and special after all these years.