Erdogan’s unending Ottoman Empire illusions

Recent moves by Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and his administration’s political discourse show that the man continues to dream of reviving the Ottoman Empire.

Erdogan thinks he is the legitimate heir of this empire. His party too has its own vision for reviving the Ottoman dream, one in which Arab states will be a basic sphere.

Treaty of Lausanne and the downfall of the ailing man’s empire

Soon after its defeat in World War I, the Ottoman state signed a truce on October 30th, 1918. The truce ensured disarming the Turkish military and the handing over of Turkish military ships in the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen, Syria and Iraq. It also opened the door for controlling Turkish ports in North Africa.

On August 10th, 1920, the allies and Istanbul signed the Treaty of Sevres which opened the door for the total end of the Ottoman state. The treaty declared the independence of Kurdistan, Armenia, the Arabian Peninsula, Egypt, and Sudan. It also forced the Ottoman state to give up territories in Greece, Italy, Cyprus, Morocco, Tunisia and Libya.

The Lausanne Conference was then held and lasted for three months. It resulted in the signing of the Lausanne Treaty on July 24th, 1923 in Switzerland. The treaty was signed by Britain, Italy and France, on one hand, and the Ottoman Empire, on the other.

The 143-article treaty reorganized relations between these states. It was the final nail in the coffin of the Ottoman Empire.

The sardonic Ottoman state by this lost around 29 of its provinces in Asia, Europe and Africa. It also lost the spiritual influence it tried to impose on millions of Muslims between 1299 and 1923.

Erdogan and his unending illusions

Erdogan has been dreaming of reviving the glories of the Ottoman state since coming to power in his country. In this, he seems to be totally unaware of the alterations that took place around Turkey in the world since the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.

He talked repeatedly about the Lausanne Treaty as the main reason why the geographical space of his country has shrunken. His talk in this regard can be understood by a look at the Ottoman hue the man has been trying to imbue his country with since coming to the helm in Turkey.

Erdogan spent $600 million to construct his palace in Istanbul. The 200,000-meter building aims to drive home the Ottoman greatness Erdogan is dreaming to live in.

The Turkish ruler also decided to teach the Ottoman language in Turkish secondary schools. He also forces presidential musical bands to play the Ottoman anthem during official receptions at the Republican Palace.

In preaching about the merits of the return of the Ottoman Empire, Erdogan is also glossing over rampant corruption in his country and his brutal treatment of the opposition in Turkey.

The man never tires of talking about the Ottoman roots of his country. Addressing the Turkish-Colombian Business Forum in Colombian capital, Bogota, a few months ago, Erdogan said his country’s relations with the Latin state dated back to the time of the Ottoman state.

Erdogan and post-Arab Spring shocks

Alterations in the aftermath of the Arab Spring were shocking to Erdogan. He dreamed of controlling a number of Arab capitals through political Islam and the Muslim Brotherhood movement, in particular.

The Turkish president’s unwise decisions at present can be considered an eloquent expression of the imbalance he suffers following the destruction of his Arab Spring dreams. These dreams were unfulfilled in Egypt and are being dashed in Libya and in other countries.

Turkey pinned a lot of hopes on the Brotherhood to bring it to the center of decision-making in Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Libya and Palestine. Control by the movement in these states, he believed, would put Istanbul at the saddle in the whole Middle East region. Erdogan himself used to talk about the Arab Middle East as the backyard of the Turkish state.

Nonetheless, all these dreams turned to ashes, even as Turkey continues to stand behind unrest in a number of Arab countries.