Think
tanks, the collective intellect of society, produce systematic and specialized
knowledge, which in turn means power.
What
is a Think Tank?
Think tanks are institutes where
ideas are produced. They have also been called factories of ideas, idea
production and Research and Development centers. Think tanks are organizations
nurturing and assembling specialists from different areas of interests and
engaging in advocacy. They conduct research, develop policies and
advocate in social, economic, political and military subjects.
Although these organizations are
claimed to be independent, most of the time they act directly or indirectly
together with the state. They conduct research and develop policies for the
governments, intelligence agencies, armies, arms manufacturers and
companies. Through their activities, they create public opinion, direct
the domestic and foreign policy of the countries, and even affect world
politics. Important think tanks have enormous budgets reaching millions of
dollars. Some of them work with teams of 300-500 staff.
History
The
term “think tank” originated in the beginning of the 20th century
(1901-1917) in the USA. With the beginning of the Cold War starting after 1950,
there was a great increase in the numbers of think tanks. While there were only
two dozen think tanks in the USA between 1907 and 1950, after 1950 this number
multiplied and think tanks nearly turned into an industry. Those think tanks
gave great support to the USA in directing world politics and especially in
struggling against the Warsaw Pact during the Cold War.
With the end of the Cold War, the
perception and understanding of think tanks started to change throughout the
world. After the 1990s think tanks have been focused on the “New World Order”
project.
Think
Tanks throughout the World
Almost all of the influential think
tanks carry out their activities in the USA. Think tank institutions are a
result of America’s development and enrichment of the organizations in foreign
policy, seeing herself as responsible for pursuing both her own interests and those
of the West in general after World War II.
Today, there are approximately 5800
think tanks throughout the world. In the USA alone, there are 1777 think tanks.
350 of these institutions operate in the capital Washington D.C.
Moreover, the think tanks in the USA are ahead of other think tanks in
different regions of the world in terms of their budget, number of staff,
effectiveness, etc.
According to some statistics, there
are 283 think tanks in England, 186 in Germany, 165 in France, 107 in Russia,
105 in Japan and 94 in Canada. The think tanks in those countries are also at
the forefront in terms of theır budget, staff profile, publications and level
of effectiveness.
The numbers of think tanks in some
other countries are as follows: 55 in Holland, 54 in Mexico, 53 in
Romania, 45 in the Ukraine, 42 in Kenya, 38 in Nigeria, 34 in Bangladesh, 36 in
Chile.
According
to the think tank index of Foreign Affairs magazine, there are only 21
think tanks in Turkey. It is evident that when we compare this
relatively low number with the numbers in developed countries, our condition is
quite alarming. Even the number of think tanks in developing countries with a
lower population than Turkey is higher than that in Turkey.
Think
Tanks, the Islamic World and Turkey
After
1990, think tanks turned their faces to the Islamic world. Some of them claimed
that the Islamic world was a threat like communism, or an even greater
danger. They came up with projects like “New World Order” and “Greater Middle
East Initiative”. Some think tanks developed projects working towards the
dissolution of the Islamic states in the Middle East. (According to some news,
the countries to be split are especially Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria, Iran and Pakistan.
Today, Sudan is divided de facto.) According to those projects, the countries
with relatively large lands should be divided and made smaller; they should be
put into conflict with one another, and the new countries created in these
lands should be made grateful to the USA and turned into her satellite states.
At the same time, those states should not be a threat to Israel, and they
should even help and cooperate with her.”
Think tanks focus especially on
Turkey. Because Turkey has a great importance for the security of Middle East,
especially Israel (See: Turkey is on the agenda of American Think Tanks.
[ABD'li 'Think Tank'ların gündeminde 'Türkiye' var.] Güngör Uras, Milliyet, 27.
5. 2006) The biggest think tank, the Rand Corporation, which allegedly has a
250 million dollar annual budget, working together with CIA, published a
comprehensive report on Turkey in February 2010.
What
should be done?
There is an urgent need to found
think tanks conducting social, economic and even political research and
producing solutions. This need is a self-evident truth.
“Knowledge is power” is a popular
maxim. The hegemony of the western countries over the world is because of the
knowledge they have. It is only through systematic and specialized
knowledge that we can get rid of their hegemony and come to the fore as a
nation and an ummah.
Regarding this, Ustad Bediuzzaman
says:
It is proved in the Risale-i Nur that
today is the time of community. Collective personality dominates. In olden
times, since the corruption came from one person, one genius guiding people to
the true faith would suffice. But today, it is a collective personality in the
form of a community, so only a collective personality can confront it.
(Siracu’n-Nur)
What
Ustad calls “collective personality” is companies, institutes known as legal
personality today. That is to say, the organizations with division of
labor and organic integration are collective personalities.
Ustad Bediuzzaman also says: “[It is
necessary] to realize that the individual resistance of the most powerful
person against the attacks of the people of misguidance and falsehood will
inevitably be defeated, because they [people of misguidance and falsehood] have
the genius of a mighty collective force which arises from their solidarity,
thus we also need to create a joint and collective force through the union of
the people of truth in order to preserve justice and right in the face of that
fearsome collective force of misguidance.” (The Flashes)
“However great the genius of the
persons are, they may be defeated by the genius of community rising from its
collective personality.” (Emirdağ Appendix)
“Yes, if three alifs do not unite,
they have the value of three. Whereas, if they do unite, through the mystery of
numbers they acquire the value of one hundred and eleven. If four times four
remain apart, they have a value of sixteen. But if, through the mystery of
brotherhood and having a common goal and joint duty, they unite coming together
shoulder to shoulder on a line, they have the strength and value of four
thousand four hundred and forty-four. Just as numerous historical events
testify that the moral strength and value of sixteen self-sacrificing brothers
have been greater than that of four thousand.” (The Flashes)
“The underlying reason for this
mystery is this: each member of a true and sincere union may see also with the
eyes of the other brothers, and hear with their ears. As if each person of a
true union of ten has the value and strength of seeing with twenty eyes,
thinking with ten minds, hearing with twenty ears, and working with twenty
hands.” (The Flashes)
***
As a nation, we have lots of political,
social and cultural problems. But none of them are too complicated to
deal with. The think tanks which can be founded in Islamic countries can deal
with both their problems and the ummah’s troubles and they can produce
solutions. The Islamic world has great brain power yet to be discovered, it has
such great material and spiritual potential and dynamic. Turning into a
collective brain (a collective intellect), think tanks can activate that
potential and that dynamic.
Such think tanks could focus on
numerous subjects, such as education, health, poverty, agriculture,
exportation, importation, industry, law, ethics, politics, social unity and
solidarity, and could come up with solutions.
Founding think tanks is especially
the responsibility of leaders. It should not be hard for the leaders who are
leading the masses to pioneer in the foundation of think tanks, in fact, this
is one of their most urgent and important duties, since they took the great
responsibility of taking power to govern the people. If they do not deal
with the problems of the ummah and provide the people with solutions, they may
suffer grave consequences both in this world and the Hereafter.
At the same time, the leaders
themselves could be the biggest obstacle in the path of the foundation of the
think tanks, and their ability to produce solutions. Those leaders unable
to appreciate the big mission on the shoulders of think tanks in the Islamic
world will obviously not give them much importance. Likewise, oppressive
and selfish leaders, obsessed with power and afraid to lose it, will not
support them, because throughout history, oppressive leaders have avoided their
people obtaining knowledge. Their reign continues as long as the ignorance of
the public persists.