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Turkish Foreign Policy between Ideology and Realpolitik with Dr. Ibrahim Kalin part 2 of 8

May 30, 2021
and geopolitical position are the two invariants that influence and in many ways shape Turkish

foreign

policy

, as we have a long history in the region as heir to the Ottoman Empire, Turkey has had this long relationship with, you know, countless communities from the Balkans to the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia, and that has become an asset and I will talk about this briefly as Dr. Gunil pointed out the issues of identity, historical relationship, cultural associations, these elements, these factors or forces have become an important determinant of international relations. Today, history plays an important role.
turkish foreign policy between ideology and realpolitik with dr ibrahim kalin part 2 of 8
Then there is the geopolitical position, which is the actual physical place where Turkey is placed on the world map. You really are at the crossroads. I don't say this to brag about Turkey, but if you look at the map of the world and where Turkey is located, it is directly related to energy issues and security issues, you know several continents, etc., these are the two invariables, i.e. There is nothing we can do about it. I mean, it's just data given from Türkiye. Actually, then there is the set of variables that is the Turkish population or the population of Turkey.
turkish foreign policy between ideology and realpolitik with dr ibrahim kalin part 2 of 8

More Interesting Facts About,

turkish foreign policy between ideology and realpolitik with dr ibrahim kalin part 2 of 8...

Turkish economy. Turkish democracy. Turkish NGOs present a very dynamic image, especially compared to what we had in the 1980s and 1990s, when Turkey was still struggling with reality. globalization and the coming of the end of the Cold War, and Turkey is a very dynamic country where, with a very young population and a very strong economy, it is the seventeenth largest economy in the world and the sixth largest in Europe, even if We look at From that point of view, you realize that these geopolitical and economic needs forced Turkey to take an active role in its environment, that is, if you have that type of economy, a 750 billion dollar economy that We hope to reach probably a line of 1 billion.
turkish foreign policy between ideology and realpolitik with dr ibrahim kalin part 2 of 8
I know that somewhere within the next 10 years you will have to have security in your environment if you want investment to come to your country. To prosper, etc., you need that kind of security. You have a very young dynamic population, about 50 percent of our population. The population is very young, you know, somewhere, you know, I think it's under 25 or 27 or something, it's a very young population. You have to create, you know, employment opportunities, education for this very young and dynamic population. Turkish democracy, as you all know. has had its own ups and downs and we are still struggling with some structural problems in Turkey in terms of deepening a culture of democracy in Turkey, but these variables and invariables play an important role in Turkish

foreign

policy

.
turkish foreign policy between ideology and realpolitik with dr ibrahim kalin part 2 of 8
It is formed and created and executed now let me get to the question of identity by

ideology

I do not mean the word in the Marxian sense of the term which is a set of principles and ideas that defy any historical circumstance. What I mean by Slash's

ideology

and identity type is a set of ideas, principles and values ​​that determine the way people see each other and behave towards what is happening in their environment. The question of identity has become important not only in international relations or foreign policy, but in practically all fields of life. Nowadays people not only want to live in a prosperous country but in a country with which they can associate.
Perhaps this is one of the unintended consequences of globalization that globalization has created. This sense of insecurity and the sense that we are losing our center and, you know, some societies, some countries, have reacted to that with a kind of nationalistic zeal, if you will, to, you know, confront these overwhelming challenges. of globalization, you turn inward and you know you are looking for a bastion. I think Turkey has been able to deal with this issue in an effective way in the sense that if you look at the vast majority of Turkish society, they have embraced globalization in more ways than one, uh, the elements on the periphery in the traditional elements of the periphery in Turkish society, I mean, you know, let's say, uh middle business class, um, uh, more traditional conservative elements within Turkish society, they are now embracing globalization, um, in a very kind way .
Quickly, they are not just dealing with or interacting with globalization as something that exists, but they are defining their kind of coloration of what we call globalization. I'll give you an example, it was very fun. I wrote about the latter. series event President Obama was elected as the 44th president of the United States, a group of villagers in one of those who know Turkey, no, you know, one is in a town in eastern Turkey, in a small village, In one, a group of villagers sacrificed 44 sheep in honor. of President Obama by electing him as the 44th president, now you can say what the meaning of this is.
Well, the meaning is that, first of all, they know that the sacrifices of the sacrificial lamb are a sacred act, so these villagers were actually doing something that was almost religious, uh sacred. they were doing this in honor of a president of the United States from another country, the fact that they followed the event so closely like you know they were electing their own president and you see this kind of gap closing between, you know, internal concerns. and Türkiye's international agenda that is truly remarkable. Another striking example, I think it is related to the state, since we are in Washington.
I will give examples from here, but we have other examples in relation to other countries when Michael Jackson died. It was another very interesting incident where a group of villagers from a town in Mardin said the Janaza prayer which is a funeral prayer again in honor of Michael Jackson in his absence again in the Islamic tradition the funeral prayer is performed only for Muslims. and it's rare, in fact it's very rare to do a funeral prayer in absentia, you usually do it when you're with the person when you're there, but they felt such a connection to Michael Jackson for whatever reason they did it.
I mean, this is what we now call a type of non-state actors NGOs, you know, other actors that are becoming an integral

part

of Turkey's foreign policy. Perspectives on internal political discussion and the new emerging political culture. The second important factor. I think we have to consider that when we address issues of identity and ideology in Turkish foreign policy is the emergence of NGOs or non-state actors, this is obviously true in the rest of the world, but especially in Turkey despite, as I said, the ups and downs of Turkish democracy. The Turkish civil society sector has always been very strong.
We did a study in Ceta two years ago on the institution of Turkish civil society. I mean, the results were really remarkable. You have about one hundred thousand one hundred thousand different organizations and associations working in many different fields. as human rights humanitarian aid bird lovers, you know, the association and all kinds of local things that you know in Kaisers, you know everywhere, it's remarkable how dynamic the civil society sector is and they follow the developments and now they are making a contribution and the state is opening up a little more, as

part

of the European Europeanization process, opening up a little more to these actors in terms of policy planning, policy execution.
I mean, every month you have a meeting between a minister of state or a bureaucrat. and there are NGOs and civil society organizations. I mean, this used to be almost taboo because once you're in a position of power, you know everything, suddenly you become the most knowledgeable person in the world, you pay very little attention to it, you know what happens. The civil society NGO community has something to say on these issues, but they have become an important factor and obviously, as I said before, these new forces, new agents will play an important role in Turkey's foreign policy decisions. .
Now let me finish with a very quick comment. summary of some important principles that Turkey has been following in its foreign policy engagements and this, as I said, extends from the Balkans to the Middle East and other places we tend to focus on the Middle East because this is where the hot topics, and you know, with Syria, the question of Palestine, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc., we tend to think or selectively we tend to focus only on the Middle East and we get this idea, I think quite erroneous, that the Turkish foreign policy

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