The danger of Turkish “soft” 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, by adopting a clear strategy of soft power which, at first glance, aims to prepare the Arab peoples to accept the Turkish culture and the Turkish value system, but in fact it seeks to promote its policies and defend its positions in the face of various problems 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 young Arabs, then this drama turned at a later stage to focus on the historical and military aspects which re-glorify the history of the Turkish Empire promotes the rebirth of the Ottoman Caliphate, as it forms the spiritual or cultural basis of the acceptance by the Arab world of the “new Ottomanism” which Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s regime has started to be implemented on the ground in recent 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 premier defender of Islamic causes.” The series “Artgrel’s Resurrection” deals with the biography of “Ertugrul” bin Suleiman Shah, the father of Osman I, the founder of the Ottoman Empire, and who is watched by millions of people in the Arab world, is nothing more than an attempt to re-promote the unity of the Islamic world around a charismatic leader. That’s why it’s no surprise that this series has won the admiration of Erdogan, who seeks to represent himself. That he is “Artgrel” this time, and that he is “that expected leader” who is responsible for unifying the Islamic world.

وتعتمد سياسة التغلغل التركي الناعم في العالم العربي كذلك على تأسيس عدد من المنابر الإعلامية باللغة العربية, ومنها قناة “trt” التي تعبر عن الثقافة التركية في شتى المجالات, كالفن والعلم والسياسة ونقلها إلى العالم العربي, وقد تم افتتاح مكاتب لهذه القناة في العديد من الدول 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 works 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 glance 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 the peoples, to make it 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 countries Arabs and the seizure of their wealth. It is no exaggeration to say in this context that it is the policy of “soft penetration” that 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 neighboring rights. or national sovereignty of the Arab countries, but rather behaves – like the former colonial countries – like 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 where it is located located militarily, as is the case in northern Syria or the Kurdistan region of Iraq or Libya, or those seeking to strengthen their influence over them in the future, especially 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 seriousness of Turkey’s expansion plan, and have started to adopt clear positions for their interventions in the crisis areas of the Arab world, it is also necessary to address at the same time the policy of “soft” cultural penetration adopted by 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 consciousness of the Arab peoples. It is no longer acceptable now to continue showing many Turkish series on Arab satellite channels around the clock at a time when Turkey continues to implement its historic ambitions in the Arab world, from fueling the fires of conflict. and by supporting extremist and terrorist groups, to demolish the foundations of the national state in many Arab countries, and to leave them to revive the “new Ottomanism”.

* Extract from “Al-Ittihad”