The danger of “soft” Turkish penetration into the Arab world

“Soft” cultural penetration is one of the most important tools on which Turkey relies to implement its policy of expansion towards the Arab world, adopting a clear strategy of soft power which, at first glance, aims to prepare Arab people to accept Turkish culture and Turkish value system, but in fact it seeks to promote its policies and defend. Its positions in the face of the various issues and crises in the region.

Over the past decade, Turkey has adopted a gradual strategy of “soft” cultural penetration into Arab countries, which began with a drama that promoted Turkish culture and values ​​in order to attract a wide range of Arab youth, then this drama later turned to focus on the historical and military aspects that re-glorify the history of Turkey. The Turkish Empire promotes the rebirth of the Ottoman Caliphate, because it constitutes the spiritual or cultural basis for the acceptance by the Arab world of the “new Ottomanism” that the regime of Recep Tayyip Erdogan has started to implement on the ground in recent years. years. Observers of the Turkish historical drama clearly notice how it aims to promote a set of messages prepared with great care and mastery, among which, for example, but not limited to, that “Turkey is the leader of the Islamic world” and that she is “the first defender of Islamic causes”. The series “Artagarl Resurrection” which deals with the biography “Ertugrul” bin Suleiman Shah, the father of Osman I, the founder of the Ottoman Empire, and which is watched by millions of people in the Arab world, is nothing but an attempt to once again promote the unity of the Islamic world around a charismatic leader, and that is why it was not surprising that this series won Erdogan’s admiration, who seeks to represent himself. That he is “Artgrel” of that time, and that he is “this expected leader” who is responsible for unifying the Islamic world.

Turkey’s policy of soft penetration into the Arab world is also dependent on the establishment of a number of Arabic language media platforms, including the “trt” channel, which expresses Turkish culture in various fields, such as art, science and politics, and its transfer to the Arab world. Offices for this channel have been opened in many countries. Arabic. Turkey is also committed to strengthening cultural and media partnerships with the Arab world, by providing support to certain associations active in this field, in particular the Turkish Arab Society for Science, Culture and the Arts, based in Ankara, the Turkish capital, and is working to strengthen ties of cultural cooperation. With the Arab world.

This gentle cultural penetration into the Arab world, which can be described as a “soft war”, appears at first sight as an expression of Turkey’s “soft power”, but in fact it does not differ in any way from its direct military intervention. in many Arab countries, because it aims to change the culture of peoples. And make him accept Turkish policy and defend it even if it restores the glories of the Ottoman Empire, which is based on the annexation of parts of the Arab countries and the seizure of their wealth. It is no exaggeration to say in this context that it is the policy of “soft penetration” which has paved the way for Turkey to intervene in the affairs of the Arab world in this blatant manner which does not respect the principles of law. neighborhood or the national sovereignty of Arab countries, but rather acts – like the former colonial states – as an imperial power which seeks To impose its will on the Arab world, and to seize its capacities, by imposing a fait accompli on the zones in which it is established militarily, as is the case in northern Syria or the Kurdistan region of Iraq or Libya, or to those seeking to strengthen their influence in that country in the future, in particular the countries In which the group “Brotherhood” is active, as an attempt to revive the project of political Islam in the region.

While the Arab countries have realized the gravity of Turkey’s expansion plan and have started to take clear positions for their interventions in crisis areas of the Arab world, it is also necessary to tackle at the same time the policy of “soft” cultural penetration adopted by the Erdogan regime, with the aim of penetrating Arab societies and influencing their cultural identity, This challenge is no less dangerous than military intervention, because it is linked to the collective conscience of the Arab peoples. It is no longer acceptable today to continue to broadcast many Turkish series on Arab satellite channels 24 hours a day, while Turkey continues to implement its historic ambitions in the Arab world. By stoking the fires of conflict and supporting extremist and terrorist groups, demolish the foundations of the national state in many Arab countries, and leave them to relaunch “new Ottomanism”.

* From “Al-Ittihad”