Daily Sabah June 10, 2023
What message did Erdoğan convey to the world?
by Ihsan Aktaş
In the aftermath of World War I, when the British and French occupied all lands around the globe, despair reached such a level that the psychology of defeat, destruction and helplessness emerged all over. Some three states had occupied all Ottoman lands, as well as China in the Far East to Indonesia to Africa. All Muslims were crushed under captivity. And people have been trying to hold on to their past to build vigor and resist with the help of valor and old stories.
I remember two things within this context. The first is an ancient Egyptian tale, and the other is my memory in Germany with the car of a Turkish Gastarbeiter.
The ancient Egyptian tale is as follows: There is a mansion, and while the guests stay overnight, they hear voices calling out at midnight with threats, "We are ghouls, evil spirits." All the guests scurry away at night and leave. The situation of the guests soon turns into a legend. The guest enters the room in the evening and runs away in the middle of the night.
One day, a brave young man stays as a guest in the mansion. When the voices rise from the ceiling, the young man says, "Whosoever you are, come out here. I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."
When he says so, the ceiling splits, and treasures pour into the room.
This tale is not a story told for treasure hunters. It is to encourage Muslims who lost their hope at that time. Whenever we muster our courage and oppose the colonialists, treasures of history will be opened to us.
The second thing I recall was during one of my trips to Germany in the '90s. I borrowed the car of one of the Turkish workers residing in Germany. When I started the motor, the mehter anthem – the march played by the army band accompanying the Ottoman army on expedition – began to play very loudly:
"Ships lying in front of Sevastopol,
The sky groans as the imperial cannon shoots.”
With the volume at maximum, my friend next to me asked, "Why are they listening to this music and why so loud?"
It dawned on me and I told him that while living under the pressure of another religion in a foreign country, trying to resist it and hold on here, they need to remember the heyday of their civilization.
When Recep Tayyip Erdoğan took office, the United Kingdom and France were no longer experiencing their former glory. And although the United States was the dominant global power, it was also in despair in almost every country not in the West.
Erdoğan’s Türkiye improved democracy, abolished tutelage and established a durable contemporary infrastructure. Türkiye established a robust defense industry infrastructure, strengthened its navy, launched a fleet in the Mediterranean and started to defeat its opponents in large and small battles under Erdoğan’s leadership.
One last hope defeated
President Erdoğan fought against all counter-struggles successfully. There was extraordinary pressure from inside and outside to suppress Erdoğan in the recent election as one last hope. But in the end, Erdoğan defeated his opponents again and communicated a message to the world. He said: Whoever backs his own culture, belief and history, loves his nation, and takes his power from his people, will be successful in both development and progress. We no longer need to be a colony or the West's support to develop. Erdoğan presented Türkiye as a model to people around the globe, to the third world, the ignored and the oppressed. He, himself, also became a model.
The president stood before the public with his Muslim identity. He respected his history. He trusted his people and relied on his resources. By operating democracy, expanding freedoms, strengthening the state and restructuring institutions, Erdoğan presented a model of development, progress and democracy to the world. I think many countries and leaders should also implement this model.
While doing all this, he did not adopt an aggressive attitude toward the West. In a way, he worked with the West, conducted diplomacy and sometimes opposed stances. But he also managed to conduct all these with a balanced approach.
Erdoğan dared to say to the ghoul, "Whosoever you are, come out here."
And all the treasures of history poured into Türkiye.
İhsan Aktaş is Chairman of the Board of GENAR Research Company. He is an academic at the Department of Communication at Istanbul Medipol University.
https://www.dailysabah.com/opinion/columns/what-message-did-erdogan-convey-to-the-world
Resilient Anatolia amid Western turmoil
by Ihsan Aktaş
Over the course of the past 15 years, Western powers have persistently sought to bring about a change in the Turkish government led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, intensifying their pressure.
The Western press proposed that the May vote was "the most important election of 2023." They have been discussing the idea for months and focused on Türkiye. Before the elections, Western media organizations issued direct threats rather than predictions and analyses. Some headlines read that President Erdoğan had to go, threatening chaos if otherwise. Some liken Erdoğan to former Ottoman sultans or Russian President Vladimir Putin. Some have gotten more hostile by threatening Turkish citizens living in their country and the people of Türkiye.
All eyes on Türkiye
When the global geopolitical balances were in disarray, and while the new set of relations was settling, the emergence of the Republic of Türkiye as a regional power drew the attention of all nations from east to west, from south to north. So as the country progressed toward the presidential and parliamentary elections, the eyes of the world public were all on Türkiye.
Of course, there were reasons for this intense interest in Türkiye's election. While NATO was in a direct war with Russia over Ukraine, the United States, England, France and Germany wanted to prevent Türkiye from pursuing an independent, versatile and proactive foreign policy.
Unfortunately, the leaders of Türkiye's opposition parties failed to interpret this grand strategy of the leading Western powers. They all supported the perception that Türkiye's election campaign and the discussion topics were purely a matter of domestic policy.
Emergence as a regional power
The opposition parties' discourse did not reflect the situation in Türkiye. At the conclusion of the AK Party's 20 years in governance, Türkiye has emerged as a regional power, effectively conveying a resounding message to the global community through the revitalized Organization of Turkic States (OTS).
Türkiye became a regional competition of France in Africa, and French colonialism was in danger of being expelled. The Balkans, where there was a struggle for influence between Germany and Türkiye, stabilized with the strengthening of Türkiye.
A second state of Israel in Syria
Meanwhile, the U.S. took action to establish a second state of Israel in Syria with the help of the PKK and started to undermine Türkiye, its NATO ally. The military operations conducted by Türkiye turned the U.S. plans upside down there.
Obedience messages to Western powers
When former Ambassador Ünal Çeviköz became an adviser of main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, hence a leading figure in the party, he sent obedience messages to Western powers, especially the U.S. He promised to support Armenia in the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict and Greece in escalating tension in the Aegean Sea. He promised that Türkiye would withdraw its troops from Cyprus and oppose Russia in the Ukraine war.
Independent foreign policy
The independent and versatile foreign policy adopted during the 20-year rule of the AK Party was essential for Türkiye's national interests and defense.
Thanks to this foreign policy, Türkiye secured its exclusive economic zone by signing a memorandum of understanding with Libya on the delimitation of the maritime jurisdiction areas, hence succeeding in creating its "Blue Homeland" in the Mediterranean. Thanks to the strong leadership of President Erdoğan, the Turkish public became aware of the regional threats facing our country and that the prudent and consistent policies adopted in foreign policy and the breakthroughs made in the defense industry ensured the emergence of Türkiye as a regional power.
İhsan Aktaş is Chairman of the Board of GENAR Research Company. He is an academic at the Department of Communication at Istanbul Medipol University.
Daily Sabah - May 6, 2023
Muslim world sees Erdoğan as a hero
By İhsan Aktaş:The Muslim world and oppressed people perceive Erdoğan as a hero who helped Türkiye emerge as a developing and prosperous country among occupied and persecuted countries exposed to cultural hegemony, build an identity with national dignity and establish balanced relations with the West. And the government under President Erdoğan's leadership that succeeded in such development and prosperity has maintained democracy and Türkiye as a democratic country.
Under such circumstances, some fortunate citizens are able to assess the positive accomplishments of the government, and some journalists oppose it radically. I hope that the number of people who perceive the realities of Türkiye, who are aware of the risks and opportunities the country is in, and who put all the interests of Türkiye above their own will increase. And may this tension in Türkiye be resolved in favor of all the oppressed, the victims of injustice and the persecuted.
İhsan Aktaş is Chairman of the Board of GENAR Research Company. He is an academic at the Department of Communication at Istanbul Medipol University.
|
Published since July 2008 |
Your donation
is tax deductable.
The Journal of America Team:
Editor in chief:
Abdus Sattar Ghazali
Senior Editor:
Prof. Arthur Scott
Special Correspondent
Maryam Turab
