Backgrounder
History does matter.
With tectonic changes, reflected largely through a massive decline in Saudi influence, taking place within the ‘Muslim world’, a potent struggle for new dominance has already begun.
The symbolic and actual battlefield is Libya, gateway to a big part of the Muslim world in Africa. While a number of countries—Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Russia, France—are involved directly and indirectly in the ‘Libyan saga’, Turkey’s involvement is not only deeper than all but also the most ambitious one.
Turkey, unlike other countries, is not merely a supporter of a particular regime or a political faction; its presence is rooted in its ambitions to reassert and re-establish Turkey’s Ottoman era dominance and become the leader of the entire ‘Muslim world.’ This leadership has both political and religious dimensions rooted in Turkey’s support for a particular brand of Islam expressed widely through the Muslim Brotherhood....Erdogan is an Ottoman revanchist.
For Erdogan, Libya and other countries of North Africa are the heritage of his forefathers and the legacy of his country. In a recent speech, he said: “Turkey has a vast historical and civilisational basin. The Mediterranean and North Africa are an important part of that basin. Libya is the legacy of our Ottoman Empire.”...Catch the term "civilisational." Turkey, Russia, Iran, China, Japan, India (and some others)) are civilizational states. This is becoming a "thing" geopolitically. They see themselves in opposition to Western (European) civilization and its traditions, culture and values, if not in conflict with it owing to the attitude of the West regarding civilizational superiority.
NEO
Turkey's leader is a meddler, as was the Ottoman empire, as is the American empire today. Why would anyone buy their rationalizations?
ReplyDeleteAs if the people of the ME would accept that as justification for their subjugation.