On election results: There won't emerge a new ‘Eastern Question'
The parliamentary election results, which undoubtedly tell the story of a new era, have shown the extent of the futility of the disinformation aimed at President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The electorate went to the polls and cast their votes, marking a very high turnout that is seen in just a few countries. Now, everyone in Turkey should respect the results and do the necessary.
Does this new period mean that the steps that Turkey has taken during the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government will be reversed and that Turkey will lose all the economic and democratic gains it has achieved during this period? Today, the achievements of the past 10 years are protected by state institutions and Turkey will not step back from them. In other words, Turkey will not go through a reactionary restoration process. Certainly, there will be some circles that will take advantage of the election results for the actualization of this reactionary restoration process, making the upcoming period a rocky road for Turkey. However, we should look on the bright side, as the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) entering Parliament in a strong fashion is a development that will give a boost to the peace process initiated by Erdoğan, and make the stability permanent in the east of the country.
The newly-emerged parliamentary arithmetic is likely to require an early election, which will cause Turkey to lose time and the economy to suffer damage. We know that state institutions and public economic units have gained strength over the past 10 years, making us think that this loss of time will not lead to permanent damage to Turkey. In addition, Turkey's basic economic and foreign policies will not go through a fundamental change depending on this. No one should expect a dramatic change in Turkey's EU objectives and policies. Turkey will continue to promote peace over a vast area spanning the Balkans to the Caucasus.
Thanks to Erdoğan, Turkey managed to reach all energy and market places, which were kept away from it after the downfall of the Ottoman Empire. The Iraqi, Caspian and Mediterranean energy resources, which determined the National Oath (Misak-ı Milli) borders, are about to come under the rule of Turkey with the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC). In this regard, the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) is one of the major projects of the 21st century. Iraq's oil and gas agreements, as well as the Mediterranean gas reservoirs, will be linked to the SGC that will be controlled by Turkey. This is a nightmare for reactionary restoration capital that carried out massacres in the Balkans in the 1990s, backed Egypt's military coup in 2013 and now conducts the anti-Erdoğan campaign. This capital, which dates back to the 20th century, is based on wars, bringing fascism to humanity. This capital does not want Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Caucasian folks to flourish by using their regional resources. The problem is not limited to energy alone as it also concerns the fact that new commercial transits and markets are getting out of the control of this reactionary and murderous capital.
The New Silk Road, which will originate from Chinese ports and reach Europe through middle and southern corridors through Turkey, is just as dangerous as before for this capital. At the same time, this new road is a great integration project. The process that started with Russia's annexation of Crimea overtly disclosed the need for democracy in the whole region. The vast territory spanning from the Balkans in Europe to the Caucasus in Asia is the "soil that needs to be protected" now. This soil can be protected by deepening the countries' democracy.
In the 19th century, the world was discussing a concept called "the Eastern Question" that was raised by Western ideologues and historians through the dissolution of these soils. In his historical masterpiece entitled "Sultan Abdul Hamid," François Georgeon describes the Eastern question as such: "What is the Eastern question? This phrase covers the entirety of serious problems that big states encountered when the Ottoman Empire lost its territories in the Balkans and the Mediterranean." So, the Eastern question is not only a process of the disintegration of the empire, but it also points to endless wars, massacres, destruction and exile. The Eastern Question emerged with the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire, i.e. the land that should be protected, and the destruction of people.
If Turkey does not have permanent peace and democracy, there will not be peace and democracy in Europe, the Middle East and the Balkans. Therefore, the Turkish state will protect all the democratic gains it has achieved over the past decade.
Does this new period mean that the steps that Turkey has taken during the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government will be reversed and that Turkey will lose all the economic and democratic gains it has achieved during this period? Today, the achievements of the past 10 years are protected by state institutions and Turkey will not step back from them. In other words, Turkey will not go through a reactionary restoration process. Certainly, there will be some circles that will take advantage of the election results for the actualization of this reactionary restoration process, making the upcoming period a rocky road for Turkey. However, we should look on the bright side, as the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) entering Parliament in a strong fashion is a development that will give a boost to the peace process initiated by Erdoğan, and make the stability permanent in the east of the country.
The newly-emerged parliamentary arithmetic is likely to require an early election, which will cause Turkey to lose time and the economy to suffer damage. We know that state institutions and public economic units have gained strength over the past 10 years, making us think that this loss of time will not lead to permanent damage to Turkey. In addition, Turkey's basic economic and foreign policies will not go through a fundamental change depending on this. No one should expect a dramatic change in Turkey's EU objectives and policies. Turkey will continue to promote peace over a vast area spanning the Balkans to the Caucasus.
Thanks to Erdoğan, Turkey managed to reach all energy and market places, which were kept away from it after the downfall of the Ottoman Empire. The Iraqi, Caspian and Mediterranean energy resources, which determined the National Oath (Misak-ı Milli) borders, are about to come under the rule of Turkey with the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC). In this regard, the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) is one of the major projects of the 21st century. Iraq's oil and gas agreements, as well as the Mediterranean gas reservoirs, will be linked to the SGC that will be controlled by Turkey. This is a nightmare for reactionary restoration capital that carried out massacres in the Balkans in the 1990s, backed Egypt's military coup in 2013 and now conducts the anti-Erdoğan campaign. This capital, which dates back to the 20th century, is based on wars, bringing fascism to humanity. This capital does not want Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Caucasian folks to flourish by using their regional resources. The problem is not limited to energy alone as it also concerns the fact that new commercial transits and markets are getting out of the control of this reactionary and murderous capital.
The New Silk Road, which will originate from Chinese ports and reach Europe through middle and southern corridors through Turkey, is just as dangerous as before for this capital. At the same time, this new road is a great integration project. The process that started with Russia's annexation of Crimea overtly disclosed the need for democracy in the whole region. The vast territory spanning from the Balkans in Europe to the Caucasus in Asia is the "soil that needs to be protected" now. This soil can be protected by deepening the countries' democracy.
In the 19th century, the world was discussing a concept called "the Eastern Question" that was raised by Western ideologues and historians through the dissolution of these soils. In his historical masterpiece entitled "Sultan Abdul Hamid," François Georgeon describes the Eastern question as such: "What is the Eastern question? This phrase covers the entirety of serious problems that big states encountered when the Ottoman Empire lost its territories in the Balkans and the Mediterranean." So, the Eastern question is not only a process of the disintegration of the empire, but it also points to endless wars, massacres, destruction and exile. The Eastern Question emerged with the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire, i.e. the land that should be protected, and the destruction of people.
If Turkey does not have permanent peace and democracy, there will not be peace and democracy in Europe, the Middle East and the Balkans. Therefore, the Turkish state will protect all the democratic gains it has achieved over the past decade.