Back in 2020, MEMRI published a translation of a strange and incomprehensible piece by Ibrahim Karagul, who was then the editor of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s mouthpiece, Yeni Safak. Here, then, is a glimpse into the mind of the Turkish intelligentsia:
Of course, we are going to learn from the past, from human history, but we are going to look toward the future. We are going to walk towards the future. We are going to predict societies, state perception, production and consumption models, needs, beliefs and values, life models, personal tendencies and interests of the future. We are going to prepare accordingly and build the future.
These are jejune and vapid vaporings. We will “learn from the past” while “going to look toward the future.” Who could disagree? As for the rest, I have no idea what he means: “we are going to predict societies, state perception [?], production and consumption models, needs, beliefs and values life models, personal tendencies and interests of the future.” What do any of these words, taken singly or together, mean? I’ve read them over again. I still have no idea. And then: “We are going to prepare accordingly and build the future.” Yes. Good idea. Let’s prepare, but make sure that we do so “accordingly” and then, let’s “build the future.” Why not? Sounds good to me.
Those who do this, those who emerge stronger following the breaking point, those who open the doors of the future are going to take to the stage as superpowers. The others will be left out in the cold. Yes, time has stopped, history has been reset. We are going to start everything from scratch…
What is that “breaking point”? Is it world war sparked by the conflict between Iran and Israel? Is it a worldwide financial collapse? Or a population collapse? And how do you “open the doors of the future”?
Now comes his main point:
Turkey is one of the world’s new superpowers.
Not “will become,” nor “could possibly become,” nor “has a shot at becoming,” but “is.” Turkey “is one of the world’s new superpowers.”
We must note that as of now, Turkey is conducting more successful coordination, a more effective fight than most of the world’s central powers. The state, central power, leadership, institutions, public formations, and citizens are handling matters in great harmony. If there are going to be any countries to rise post-corona – and there will be – Turkey is going to be one of them….
Turkey is “conducting more successful coordination”? But in March 2020, just as this piece appeared, Turkey’s coronavirus numbers suddenly exploded. On March 17, 2020, Turkey had only two coronavirus deaths. The death toll skyrocketed 4500% to 92 in just 11 days. This happened after Ibrahim Karagul wrote his article praising Turkey for its “successful coordination” of the fight against the virus.
Apparently Turkey was not “conducting more successful coordination,” nor “a more effective fight than most of the world’s central powers.” Karagul provides a paean to the Turkish “state, central power, leadership, institutions, public formations,” which clearly refer to the supreme leader, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He is the state. He is the central power. He provides the leadership. And he gave Ibrahim Karagul his job.
Karagul insists portentously that Turkey will become one of the “new superpowers.” Based on what? The Turkish economy is in a parlous state. Politically, Turkey has become persona non grata in NATO, and may yet be kicked out. This antipathy is a result of Erdogan’s behavior going back years. His hostility toward Israel and threats against it have not led to any serious calls for Turkey to be removed from NATO, but before that there was his denunciation of the Germans as Nazis for not letting AKP officials campaign among Turks in Germany, and for former Chancellor Angela Merkel suggesting that talks on Turkey’s accession to the EU be called off. Erdogan similarly calling the Austrians “Nazis” for closing down some jihad-preaching mosques and expelling their imams. Erdogan also refused American pleas not to buy the Russian S-400 air defense system, leading the Americans to cancel the sale of F-35 planes to Turkey. Erdogan has published a plan for a pan-Islamic army that, he claimed, would be powerful enough to destroy Israel, a goal he clearly favors. He has predicted a future war between the “crescent and the cross,” leaving no doubt as to which side Turkey would be on. Naturally his behavior, and all of these statements, have alarmed the other members of NATO.
Raymond Bullock says
Ottoman Empire dreams.
Dr. Gregory Hamilton says
Not to mention his unethical actions regarding Hagia Sofia. The building was ALWAYS a Christian Cathedral and was founded as such until taken over by M-zlims. He stated that the building would ‘be returned to a mosque’ and it is unclear whether christian services are even allowed in the buiulding at this point… I am sure that the precious mozaics will soon be painted over, similar to what M-zlims did in destroying buddist shrines. The mozaics are covered up so as not to “offend” M-uzlims. How sad that Christ offends them.
Little Bear says
So much for their pretense of Jesus being a muslim prophet…
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Really? What is the source of this information? More importantly, what is the mechanism NATO has to expel any country?
I also disagree w/ Hugh about Turkey’s lack of importance: I do think that after China, it’s Turkeyh that’s the #2 adversary of the US, not Russia. Russia has next to no vassals, unlike the Soviets back in the day, and everyone they do have currently is actually a vassal of Beijing, not Moscow. Whether it’s North Korea, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba….
The story is very different w/ Turkey, that has been spinning its various alliances. It’s a sponsor of the muslim brotherhood, and as a result, has Arab allies like Qatar, Yemen, Somalia and Algeria. It also has support among some of the biggest non-Arab sunni countries like Pakistan and Malaysia, and I’m pretty sure that Bangladesh w/ its new islamic leadership is close to being onboard, if it isn’t already. That alone puts more muslims in Turkey’s corner than there are Arabs. Then finally, there is Turkey’s ethnic cousins across the Caspian, as well as in Azerbaijan. As well as the fact that historically, the Turks were a bigger islamizing force than the Arabs ever were
Finally, there is the fact that Turkey control’s the choke points to Russia’s trade, since they haven’t done enough to develop ports in the Russian Far East that could get them sea access to export their products to other countries w/o needing the Black Sea and the Mediterranean
So I have to agree w/ Karagul here, given some of the geopolitical and geohistorical facts about Turkey
Mick says
Excellent post. AIU the drivers of the first invasion of North Africa then Spain was Syria , the seat of the Umayyad Caliphate.
Hugh Fitzgerald says
No member of NATO has yet been expelled. But Turkey under Erdogan has become an enemy of the West. Some on-line postings worth considering:
Some reasons to expel Turkey from. NATO:
https://nordicmonitor.com/2023/10/turkish-presidents-ally-called-for-the-closure-of-nato-bases-in-turkey-the-denial-of-base-access-to-us/
https://nordicmonitor.com/2024/10/turkish-presidents-ally-strengthens-ties-with-north-korea-accelerates-turkeys-drift-from-the-west/
https://nordicmonitor.com/2024/09/fbi-probe-reveals-turkey-as-key-conduit-for-isis-cryptocurrency-funding/
࿗Infidel࿘ says
I understand that Turkey is an enemy of the West. Unfortunately, the West – at least governmentts (except maybe France) – don’t see it that way. Since they don’t think of islam as a hostile ideology the way they used to think of Communism, they don’t see Turkey as a threat either. Nor do they have any issues w/ Turkey aspiring to become the leader of the muslim world
A sensible West would happily have co-opted Russia into NATO, separating it from China, and then Russia would have been a great front against both Turkey and China. NATO missiles could then have been installed in Russia itself, and both China and Turkey could have been brought to heel
GE says
+💯
James Lincoln says
Excellent points made, Infidel.
Mick says
Good to hear. Hugh. Turkey’s support of Azerbaijan in the fight for Nagorno K, (they sent arms and their Sadat (Syrian) militia), their continuing supply of drones and their servicing of Azer’s Russian military hardware, (Forbes report today) shows where they stand: against Armenia, Christendom and Shia Islam (apart from Azerbaijan).
GE says
Imo, the only difference between Mehmed 11 and Erdogan is a few centuries.
Free Constantinople—
sporticus says
What’s Turkish for “word salad”?
There will be a future which can only be built on the past. That is why the present is so important because it is located on the border separating the past things from the future things. One day when I was just a little girl and going out in the Canadian winter to get a bucket of water I asked my mother What would I be? Although she was well past it, she encouraged me and sang Que sera sera what willy will be willy be, the future’s not ours to see, que sera sera. You didn’t know I could sing Tim? Yeah neither did I until yesterday.
Mick says
Doris Day for Trump’s VP and James Garner for Secretary of State.
Mick says
Good to hear. Hugh. Turkey’s support of Azerbaijan in the fight for Nagorno K, (they sent arms and their Sadat (Syrian) militia), their continuing supply of drones and their servicing of Azer’s Russian military hardware, (Forbes report today) shows where they stand: against Armenia, Christendom and Shia Islam (apart from Azerbaijan).