Editorial | Turkey revives imperial practices

By Yonatan McHugh

September 6, 2018

Through the majority of the 20’th century, Turkey was aligned with western nations. On the ideological front, human rights, liberalism, and expression saw an increase in prevalence. On the political stage, Turkey was and is a NATO member and served a pivotal role during the cold war period. Turkey is a relatively young nation, however, having been founded after the Ottoman Empire drew its last breaths during the closing of the first world war. As is true with many young nations, Turkey has not only circumstantial volatility, but also ideological. While the nation’s future is far from certain, there are several recently developing variables that suggest that Turkey is looking back to its Ottoman past for inspiration.

Cultural and political changes quite often center around the economy, Turkey being no exception. The country has the world’s 17’th largest economy, the growth or decline of which can change Turkish perspective for or against the democratic capitalism that governs much of the world. Turkey’s leader of 15 years, Tayyip Erdogan, is struggling with domestic and international financial challenges. The inflation of the Lira combined with the recent tariffs imposed on Turkey by the United States fuel the already growing Nationalism in the country. A regimented economic system is a considerable possibility as Turkish nationals view world trade with increasing cynicism.

Such a nationalist movement would need a powerful militarist leader to develop the ideas and concerns into tangible policies. In Erdogan, such a person can be found. He has made considerable effort not just to remove the checks on his power, but also to forge independent Turkish power on the international stage. One of the most climactic examples: Turkey has purchased Russian missile systems and other weapons despite the warnings from the United States. This is particularly telling since as a member of NATO, Turkey is technically more obliged to US strategic interests than to Russian.

In this spirit of self interest, Turkey is not aligned with Russian interests either and has increasingly acted in its own interests as a regional hegemon. Turkey has maintained a position in the Syrian conflict in the midst of the United States and the Russian Federation supporting different groups in the civil war. Turkey supports some rebel factions and has held talks with Russia about avoiding direct conflict. The region where there is joint Turkish-rebel control is telling, northern Syria on the Turkish border. Taking this fact to its logical conclusion, it’s likely that Turkey will permanently annex this small portion of northern Syria. It is precisely this type of behavior that has lead many experts to compare effort and activities of Turkey with the Ottoman empire, the underlying accusation being that turkey is trying to expand to reclaim territory formerly held by the Ottoman empire. The developments in Syria are likely more of a harbinger, than a conclusion.

Photo Credit: Google Photos

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Infuse Student Media or Southwest Baptist University.