Ankara’s New Identity and Turkey-US Tension

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Europe

Editor's note: Wang Jin is a research fellow at Charhar Institute and at Syria Research Center at Northwest University, China. The article reflects the author's opinions, and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

Ankara’s close relation with Washington has been maintained ever since modern Turkey was established, however the recent US sanctions against Turkey and the “free fall” of Turkish currency, or Lira, might end Turkey’s willingness to continue an alliance with the US.

The recent tension between US and Turkey, on the one hand, was provoked by Turkey’s arrest of an American pastor Andrew Brunson, while on the other hand, could be perceived as the result of Turkey’s national identity transformation, that is, from a “Western state” into an “Eastern state” led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) under the “neo-Ottomanism”.

US Pastor Andrew Craig Brunson (C), is seen inside a car escorted by Turkish plainclothes police officers as he arrives at his house in Izmir, Turkey, July 25, 2018. /VCG Photo

The past two decades also witnessed the transformation of Turkey’s national identity. Modern Turkey was established after the First World War when the Ottoman Empire, which upheld the “pan-Islamism” principle to portray itself as the “protector of Muslims”, collapsed.

On the one hand, the Ottoman Empire was defeated by UK, France and other European powers, while on the other hand the Ottoman Empire’s demise could be attributed to its internal divisions, especially the division between Turks and Arabs.

In the late 19th century, Ottoman Empire lost most of its European territories while the Christian groups inside Anatolia and Thrace were influenced by different national sentiments from Russia, Austria-Hungary Empire, France and other Western powers.

Meanwhile, some Islamic thinkers, such as Jamal Din Afghani and Muhammad Abdul, maintained that only the “Islamic belief” could unite all the ethnic groups under the same banner to safeguard the “caliphate”, which was the Ottoman Sultan in Istanbul, against the invasion and humiliation of Western powers. It is against this backdrop that Ottoman Sultan decided to strengthen the Ottoman Empire national power through “pan-Islamism”.

However, in the First World War, although the “Caliphate”, or the Ottoman Sultan, called all the Muslims to resist UK, France, and Russia under the banner of “Jihad”, or the “Holy war”, the division inside Muslims became more salient. In 1917 the Arab Revolt led by Emir of Mecca in Arab Peninsular, Hussein Ibn Ali, seriously blew Ottoman’s illusion of Pan-Islamism.

People arrive to attend a ceremony marking the 79th anniversary of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk's death, founder of modern Turkey, at the mausoleum for Ataturk called Anitkabir, in Ankara, Turkey, November 10, 2017. /VCG Photo

Hussein Ibn Ali, supported by the UK, led his Arab forces to occupy a large territory in the Southern part of the Ottoman Empire, while many important cities and areas such as Mecca and Medina (the Islamic Holy Cities), Damascus, Bagdad, Mosul, Homs, Jerusalem were occupied by either Arab militants or British Expeditionary Force.

After the First World War, with the failure of Pan-Islamism, the Ottoman Empire left only territories in the Anatolia area. It was urgent for the people in those areas to redefine “who they were”. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, or “Nation-Father Kemel”, redefined the modern Turkish national identity labeled by “Scientific, West and Developed” nature, rather than “Backward, East, un-Developed” society.

After the 1920s, Turkey perceived itself as a part of “West world”, rather than an East state. Islam was separated from politics and constrained inside mosques, while “Caliphate” was ousted and the newly established modern political system was erected in Turkey.

After the Second World War, Turkey chose to join NATO to resist the threat from its Northern neighbor, the Soviet Union. During the past six decades, Turkey had been ceaselessly trying to become a European state through joining the European Community, or today’s European Union. Turkey and the US, therefore, kept their close relation while Turkey became submissive for the US and other European states.

After 2002, Turkey’s national identity has been influenced by “Neo-Ottomanism” upheld by AKP government. The “Neo-Ottomanism” could be summarized as “Pan-Islamism” plus “Pan-Turkism”, the former drives Turkey to get involved into different Middle East issues, while the latter promotes Ankara’s willingness to offer assistance to different Turk ethnic groups all across the world.

A customer changes dollars into Turkish lira at a foreign currency exchange store in Istanbul, Turkey, August 16, 2018. /VCG Photo

It is against this backdrop that Turkey, after 2011 when Arab Turbulence swept the Middle East, decided to get involved in the Syrian civil war, Saudi-Qatar crisis, Libya civil war and other regional issues.

Neo-Ottomanism awakens Turkey’s new national identity, and Ankara is not willing to continue its “submissive” role with its Western partners. From Ankara’s decision of the suspension of “EU-membership” negotiations to its escalating tension with the US, Ankara is becoming more and more independent.

It should be noted that although Turkey’s “Eastward” policy means uniting with Russia, it is wrong to imagine that Turkey will become “submissive” to Russia as it once was to the West. An increasingly confident Turkey is rising in the intricate geopolitical competition.