The Syrian fantasies of the 'Beaded Mad Ibrahims' on our screens are very dangerous

The rhetoric of certain self-important individuals brought onto television programs—labeled as journalists, experts, or pundits—is extremely dangerous… I hope that politicians are not taking these people, whose mental health should be checked, seriously, and that only viewers who watch Ottoman fantasies like they are watching a TV series are taking them seriously. Otherwise, the situation is dire!

What is happening in Syria is well-known; Assad has perhaps never experienced such a difficult period, but there is a truth that these few showmen, who are ignorant of history and fail to learn from it, and who are making plans to profit from the fire in the neighbor's house, must not forget: “If you rub your hands together waiting to seize the land of a neighbor's house once the fire dies down, either a spark from that fire will jump to your own home, or you will be poisoned by the smoke.”

Those who dream of profiting from the chaos in Syria with the logic of “Wouldn't it be bad if Aleppo were ours?” had previously interpreted the words “We will pray in Damascus” as “We will annex Damascus to our lands.”

However, over time, the fire in the neighbor's house has manifested for us as millions of refugees, economic hardships, and uncontrollable terrorist groups in the region. If your neighbor is peaceful, you sleep peacefully.

Let us explain this to these 'Beaded Ibrahims' on our screens who are trying to design Turkey's foreign policy by giving them an example from Sultan Ibrahim.

Sultan Ibrahim, the 18th Ottoman Sultan, known as 'Beaded Mad Ibrahim,' lived a life of confinement (kafes) during the reigns of Mustafa I, Osman II, and Murad IV. Murad IV had his surviving brothers Kasım, Süleyman, and Bayezid executed, while Ibrahim was able to survive only through the protection of his mother, Kösem Sultan. According to accounts, Kösem hiding him in the basements of the Harem and “portraying him as pathetic and helpless” saved his life. Ibrahim, who was two years old when his father died, spent his life of confinement in fear, partly due to the execution of the other princes, and likely did not receive a proper education.

He paid the price for not receiving a good education by surrendering himself to the guidance of the sycophants and even charlatan 'hoca' figures around him; he remained on the throne for only 8 years and was executed following a fatwa.

The Sultan, who committed dozens of reckless acts due to his condition, lost his throne after a mistake he made in foreign policy. In the early years of his reign, he had Grand Vizier Kemankeş Kara Mustafa Pasha, the architect of stability, executed due to the incitement of Hüseyin Efendi from Safranbolu—known as 'Cinci Hoca'—and Yusuf Pasha.

Afterward, his desire for victory grew due to provocations and an obsession with the successes of his ancestors. In 1645, he launched the Cretan War, which would last for four years. While Crete was strategically important in the Mediterranean, the possibility of the siege lasting a very long time and its heavy costs were not calculated. Since there was no one of sound mind left around him to guide him, and he himself had not received a good education like other sultans, it was inevitable that he would make mistakes.

At the beginning of the siege, the conquest of Chania caused great joy. However, Sultan Ibrahim was displeased because Yusuf Pasha, the conqueror of Chania, did not bring him gifts other than marble columns and did not complete the conquest. The Sultan, who did not know the location and conditions of Crete, ordered the Pasha to fully conquer the island.

When Ibrahim tried to explain to Yusuf Pasha that “a campaign could not be conducted due to the winter season,” he had him strangled.

In 1648, the Venetian navy blockaded the Dardanelles due to the siege of Crete. Over time, the Sultan's health deteriorated significantly. The cost of the siege led to the imposition of additional taxes. Eventually, the ulema and the Janissaries revolted and deposed the Sultan. Then, declaring that there cannot be two caliphs, they had him executed.

There are many characters in history who wanted to win victories and made mistakes, but failing to read foreign policy well opens the door to disaster. Even with Putin's current situation regarding Ukraine, it is clear that acquiring territory today is not as easy as saying “Wouldn't it be bad if those places were ours?” on television screens.

I hope that statesmen of sound mind do not take these rating-obsessed fallacies seriously. Even a single wrong step taken in Syria will burden us with new problems...