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TURKISH P.M. ERDOGAN: WE CANNOT DENY OUR OTTOMAN PAST
Ishaan Tharoor Thursday
http://globalspin.blogs.time.com/2011/09/29/turkish-p-m-erdogan-we-cannot-deny-our-ottoman-past/
September 29, 2011
17 Comments Related Topics: Democracy, Minorities, Geo-political
tensions, Middle East, Central Asia, arab uprisings, Egypt, religion,
Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan stands among Justice and
Development Party (AKP) members during a meeting at the party
headquarters in Ankara, September 28, 2011. (Photo: Adem Altan /AFP /
Getty Images)
Our interview with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
published earlier this week on Global Spin, dwelled mostly on the
growing shadow cast by the charismatic premier across the face
of Mideast geo-politics. One question edited out of the earlier
transcript raised the legacy of the Ottoman Empire, whose dominion
once stretched over much of the region. As they now swagger through
Cairo, Tripoli and other former Ottoman strongholds, Erdogan and -
perhaps to even greater degree - his Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu
have earned the monicker of "neo-Ottomans."
Few democratically-elected statesmen in this day and age would
welcome the label of imperialists. And, for whatever connotations
"neo-Ottomanism" invokes abroad, it's a far more sensitive subject
domestically in Turkey. Nearly a century of Ataturk-inspired,
Western-facing secularism meant those raised in modern Turkey looked
with wariness upon the decadence, decay and religiosity of Ottoman
times, when, after all, Istanbul was the veritable capital of the
putative Caliphate.
But much has changed since Erdogan's rise to power. Turkey no longer
pines after Europe - indeed, see Erdogan's matter-of-fact retort at
the close of our interview with him - is ruled by a moderate Islamist
party, and has signaled clear intent to influence events in many
of the countries once ruled by Ottoman Sultans. Below is Erdogan's
response to a question I posed to him on whether he accepted donning
the neo-Ottoman mantle:
Of course we now live in a very different world, which is going
through a scary process of transition and change. We were born and
raised on the land that is the legacy of the Ottoman empire. They
are our ancestors. It is out of the question that we might deny
that presence. Of course, the empire had some beautiful parts and
some not so beautiful parts. It's a very natural right for us to use
what was beautiful about the Ottoman Empire today. We need to upgrade
ourselves in every sense, socially, economically, politically. If we
cannot upgrade ourselves and the way we perceive the world, we will
lag behind tremendously. It would be self-denial. That's why whether
it be in the Middle East or North Africa or anywhere in the world,
our perception has in its core this wealth that is coming from our
historical legacy. But it's established upon principles of peace. And
it all depends on people loving one another without discrimination
whatsoever.
Critics may wonder how willing Erdogan and other Turkish leaders are
to actually admit to the empire's "not so beautiful parts", not least
the grisly massacre of Armenians when the Ottoman Empire itself was
on its last legs. Turkish diplomats on the sidelines of U.N. meetings
spoke to TIME of Erdogan's professed commitment to values of peace,
tolerance and neighborly love - a lofty sentiment not exactly on
display during the continued Turkish offensive against rebel Kurds
in the country's east.
Still, it's noteworthy that the Turkish P.M. sees in the Ottoman past
a "wealth" - a soft-power cachet, based presumably on the empire's
extraordinary diversity and tolerance of many faiths - to inform
the present. We tend to forgive many Western powers, say the French,
British and even the Americans, for tracing their foreign policies
sometimes in memory (or nostalgia) of lapsed empire. An ascendant,
capable Turkey has every right to walk its own post-imperial path
as well.
Ishaan Tharoor Thursday
http://globalspin.blogs.time.com/2011/09/29/turkish-p-m-erdogan-we-cannot-deny-our-ottoman-past/
September 29, 2011
17 Comments Related Topics: Democracy, Minorities, Geo-political
tensions, Middle East, Central Asia, arab uprisings, Egypt, religion,
Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan stands among Justice and
Development Party (AKP) members during a meeting at the party
headquarters in Ankara, September 28, 2011. (Photo: Adem Altan /AFP /
Getty Images)
Our interview with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan,
published earlier this week on Global Spin, dwelled mostly on the
growing shadow cast by the charismatic premier across the face
of Mideast geo-politics. One question edited out of the earlier
transcript raised the legacy of the Ottoman Empire, whose dominion
once stretched over much of the region. As they now swagger through
Cairo, Tripoli and other former Ottoman strongholds, Erdogan and -
perhaps to even greater degree - his Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu
have earned the monicker of "neo-Ottomans."
Few democratically-elected statesmen in this day and age would
welcome the label of imperialists. And, for whatever connotations
"neo-Ottomanism" invokes abroad, it's a far more sensitive subject
domestically in Turkey. Nearly a century of Ataturk-inspired,
Western-facing secularism meant those raised in modern Turkey looked
with wariness upon the decadence, decay and religiosity of Ottoman
times, when, after all, Istanbul was the veritable capital of the
putative Caliphate.
But much has changed since Erdogan's rise to power. Turkey no longer
pines after Europe - indeed, see Erdogan's matter-of-fact retort at
the close of our interview with him - is ruled by a moderate Islamist
party, and has signaled clear intent to influence events in many
of the countries once ruled by Ottoman Sultans. Below is Erdogan's
response to a question I posed to him on whether he accepted donning
the neo-Ottoman mantle:
Of course we now live in a very different world, which is going
through a scary process of transition and change. We were born and
raised on the land that is the legacy of the Ottoman empire. They
are our ancestors. It is out of the question that we might deny
that presence. Of course, the empire had some beautiful parts and
some not so beautiful parts. It's a very natural right for us to use
what was beautiful about the Ottoman Empire today. We need to upgrade
ourselves in every sense, socially, economically, politically. If we
cannot upgrade ourselves and the way we perceive the world, we will
lag behind tremendously. It would be self-denial. That's why whether
it be in the Middle East or North Africa or anywhere in the world,
our perception has in its core this wealth that is coming from our
historical legacy. But it's established upon principles of peace. And
it all depends on people loving one another without discrimination
whatsoever.
Critics may wonder how willing Erdogan and other Turkish leaders are
to actually admit to the empire's "not so beautiful parts", not least
the grisly massacre of Armenians when the Ottoman Empire itself was
on its last legs. Turkish diplomats on the sidelines of U.N. meetings
spoke to TIME of Erdogan's professed commitment to values of peace,
tolerance and neighborly love - a lofty sentiment not exactly on
display during the continued Turkish offensive against rebel Kurds
in the country's east.
Still, it's noteworthy that the Turkish P.M. sees in the Ottoman past
a "wealth" - a soft-power cachet, based presumably on the empire's
extraordinary diversity and tolerance of many faiths - to inform
the present. We tend to forgive many Western powers, say the French,
British and even the Americans, for tracing their foreign policies
sometimes in memory (or nostalgia) of lapsed empire. An ascendant,
capable Turkey has every right to walk its own post-imperial path
as well.