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By Cercis İkiel (Dept. Of Geography, Sakarya University, Turkey)
Where is The Last Station of Turkey in the Global Journey?
29th IMISE Confer., 4-9 July. 2005, American University of Paris, France (Workshop on History and Law)
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This brief paper will try to respond the following questions: Where is the last station of Turkey in the global journey? Can the Turkish membership of EU be an answer to the previous question? If it can how can it be possible actualized?
The Turkish EU proposal has a long historical background. What I mean is that Turkish tribes were already contacted with her westernizes neighbours since ancient times. Throughout the ages this relation has continued so far. For this reason it is not surprising Turkey has a national agenda for the EU membership today. For example Turkish tribes as a representative of the nomadic culture confronted with European nations, who were the representatives of the settled culture, and that is why Turks can not resist the assimilation policies of Europeans.
The Ottomans and Seljuks were the out of these historical assimilation policies. These two empires successfully deal with European nations and they adopted their selves to and digested the requirements of the settled culture even by adding some crucial features of nomadic cultures of Asia to it. In this historical process, which is taken a thousand year, Ottomans and Seljuk’s did not only confront with European tribes but Persians and Arabs so that Turks existence in Anatolia and Balkans became stable. Ottoman Empire in this regard considered as the Turk-Islamic new version of East Roman Empire.
Thus we can naturally think of a constant two sided relation between Turks and Europeans both of whom culturally contributed each other with huge respects. However since seventeenth century Ottoman Empire entered to declining process and looses her power against the European nations gradually. And when she realizes the fact that European rise in every aspect was occurring she imitated the Europeans in some respects (e.g. field of army).
As Grenard states:“Starting seventeenth century the Europe demonstrated her power in certain ways to the Asia and rest of the world. This superiority of Europe takes her power from the basic physical, mental and spiritual sources which are the necessary humanistic ingredients so that makes the people active. European target is orientated materially, the instrument uses for reaching the target is intellectually. The industry of intellectuality led the material things be refined intellectually. This historical European intellectual agenda has been having a constant and powerful impact over the rest of the world as to science, methodology, traditions and technology. For this reason the others have only one option which is imitate the Europe... This constant impact of the Europe seems to be fresh because of her dynamic features which led the Europe renew herself.[1]”
Seen this historical frame, after First World War victorious Europeans began to reshape the world and Turkey being at the other side as a young Turkish Republic, thought that she has only one choice that is being a part of Europe or became westernization. As a nation state Turkish Republic made a number of revolutions with a new team under the authority of her founder. The aim of the young republic has always been among the European countries and directed her face to the west. In this regard Turkey has been taking major steps as to modernity, sociability, cultural, political, economical aspects of daily life at the national, regional and global levels.
On the other hand Turkey’s membership to the NATO can be mentioned as an positive example which is approved by the Turkish nation However after the cold war the balance of the globe changed, depending this fact Turkish European agenda became weakened particularly EU countries theorical and practical attitudes played important role. For example initially EU project presented by the west as the project of peace and stability but we should not forget the others worldwide following projects: the idea of the conflict of the civilizations of Huntington, Brezezinski’s view of taking Eurasia as a playing field of America, Fukuyama’s thesis that for the nations of the world there is no alternative apart from the liberal economy and democracy and the other projects of globalization (including America’s Big Middle East Project etc.).
These actualization of all this projects can be seen the political, social and economical events taken place Caucasian, Balkans and Middle East both at the regional and global levels. As we pointed out at the above, Turkey’s westernisation project has been continued for two centuries and Turkey’s European agenda has fifty years history as a final station at this long Turkey’s westernisation journey. On the other hand when we take Turkey’s geopolitical location, human and economical features into consideration the extent of the possible future events becomes much more important not only particularly for Turkey and EU but the other regional and global actors.
For example, as some conservative groups in Europe thought that Turkey should not be taken in the EU, this thought had crucial role over the rejection of the voting for the EU constitution by some European countries. Against this view Verhaugen made the following statement “If we loose Turkey, which is an ally and security key of the Middle East, I can not imagine what will happens.[2]” On the other hand similarly Fisher says: “The worries is not derived from the expansion of the Europe but rather economical because only powerful Europe can be compete with the others in international level[3].”
In conclusion Turkey’s membership of the EU is a geopolitical fact which we are facing with. Though this agenda seems a kind of modernization and development project for Turkey, it is a positive respond to the process of the globalization and the conflict of civilization for EU and the western part of the world. I believe that EU will take a new global step towards the expansion of western civilization by embracing to near Asian countries and their geographies and cultures. When the otherwise thought as we witnessed the voting of European constitution, the EU will be isolated by her self so that she will loose her power in creating a new civilization. This case leads the Turkey to change her concern to Europe and to search new directions in Asia.
After having all these historical experiences of modernity, westernisation and globalization which possible ends with disappointed, will cause Turkey to create or form her own version of modernity and globality as an alternative project to the rest of the world. I hope in both ways Turks will be contributing to the world peace, solidarity, friendship and civilisation and so on.
[1] Grenard, F. 1992, Asya’nın Yükselişi ve Düşüşü (Grandeur at Decodence de I’Asia, L’Arenement de L’Europe, 1939), pp:169, MEB Yay No: 2124, İstanbul. [2] http//www.milliyet.com.tr/2005/06/14 [3] http//www.milliyet.com.tr/2005/06/14
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