TKP General Secretary Okuyan's assessment of Turkey's regional policies

In his posts titled "Loosening While Expanding," Okuyan comprehensively addressed the connections between the Neo-Ottomanist understanding, the government's pursuit of expansion, and imperial projects.

Okuyan pointed out that the government's goals of becoming a "regional power" combine both capitalist interests and ideological references. He emphasized that while Turkish-Kurdish equality had not been on the agenda for many years, addressing it now in the context of regional claims is a contradictory approach. In this framework, he stated that the government is attempting a new resolution process by utilizing both the Kurdish issue and the perception of regional threats.

Referring to rhetoric such as "Israel could attack Turkey" and articles by writers close to the government asking "Why should we leave the Kurds to Israel and the US," Okuyan stated that the discourse of religious brotherhood is being highlighted as the "glue" for these policies. He noted that this understanding was similarly seen in the negotiations between the AKP and the PYD during the early stages of the Syrian war.

Neo-Ottomanism: A Domestic Derivative of Imperialism

The TKP General Secretary linked the Neo-Ottomanist policy to the expansionist pursuits of Turkish capitalism, stating that it was inspired by the US-originated Greater Middle East Project. Emphasizing that this understanding is a derivative of imperialist aggression, Okuyan stated that for this reason, the transformation in Syria cannot be explained by a single actor; rather, there is cooperation among many powers in this process.

Criticizing the opposition as well, Okuyan stated that in response to the government's claims of "becoming a regional power," the opposition merely displays a cynical approach by saying, "you cannot, you are not big enough." However, emphasizing that Turkish capitalism should not be underestimated, Okuyan said that the country's underground and surface resources are being plundered by the capitalist class and that it has gained power through poverty.

'A Country That Is Loosening and Whose Existence Is Questioned'

Emphasizing that Turkish capitalism harbors both strong and weak aspects, Okuyan stated that the government claims to be making a "move" to overcome these weaknesses. However, he noted that such policies turn the country into a den of wolves:

"Turkey is an important power, but an expanding Turkey will also be a country that is loosening and whose existence is questioned. Imperial goals revive imperial memory. 1919-1923 is not that distant a history."

Republican Accumulation and Class Struggle

Stating that after the events in Syria, the Republican accumulation in Turkey must be restructured on a class basis, Kemal Okuyan expressed that the current order condemns large segments of society to poverty and has gained assets through a serious process of plunder.

"The Republican accumulation in Turkey will either continue to ignore the reality that it is the holding order that is destroying Turkey by insisting on its old coordinates, or it will rebuild itself on a class basis. By saying 'a trap is being set' from morning to night, one can neither be protected from the trap nor reach well-being. Can there be a trap more troublesome and effective than capitalism?"

A Line of Struggle Against the Path of Big Capital

Finally, stating that more importance should be given to the struggle against imperialist aggression and projects, TKP General Secretary Kemal Okuyan emphasized that Neo-Ottomanism is the line of big capital. Pointing to the traps created by capitalism, he stated that policies aimed at saving the day are not a solution:

"Acting as if nothing has happened and positioning oneself within a destroyed line of struggle would probably be the most terrible choice."

The full text of TKP General Secretary Kemal Okuyan's statements is as follows:

Loosening while expanding… (1)

In the government's language, there is a Turkey that is regional, growing, and strengthening. When one goes beyond official spokespeople, a desire for "expansion" is added to this. Leading names are already implying this at every opportunity.

It is clear that the Turkish-Kurdish brotherhood and equality, which were never on the agenda for years, should be addressed together with these regional claims. In fact, the announcement that "there is an external threat directed at Turkey" was made at the kickoff of the "nameless and unqualified" process, which is insistently stated to "never be a new resolution process." Then the address was pointed out: Israel could attack Turkey.

Many writers close to the government wrote articles of the type "Why should we leave the Kurds to Israel and the US?" Turkey could spoil the game and increase its regional weight. It was especially emphasized that the glue of this business would be religious brotherhood. Many people from the DEM circle had already been making this emphasis for a long time.

Wasn't this also at the center of the negotiations between the AKP and the PYD in the early period of the Syrian war? "Let's be a regional power together." This was discussed in Imrali, and it was bargained with Salih Muslim.

Aside from the Kurdish issue context of the subject, we have been calling this approach Neo-Ottomanism for a long time. This is the product of the combination of Turkish capitalism's inability to fit into its mold and its need to expand, with the AKP's ideological references.

The thesis of liberals that the Republic is a regression, the Islamists calling it a hundred-year parenthesis... When Bahçeli says in his New Year's message, skipping over the founding of the Republic, "Turkey has taken the initiative to get rid of its two-century-old weight," is his reference not the Ottoman Empire?

All of these are like this, but Neo-Ottomanism has drawn inspiration from the US-originated Greater Middle East Project. In this sense, it is a derivative of imperialist aggression. It is trying to take a role from there. It was like that, and it is like that today.

For this reason, the question of whose work the rapid transformation in Syria is fundamentally is meaningless. Some say Turkey, some say Israel, some say the US, some say England... Yet, they are all in it, and despite the competition and friction among themselves, they have achieved a common result.

What about after this?

While the government says "we are becoming a regional power," the opposition says, "you cannot, you are not big enough, you are falling into a trap."

Nothing has changed. The government boasts, while the opposition mocks.

However... No one should underestimate Turkish capitalism. Its internal dynamics and potential should be taken seriously. How could it not be taken seriously? By condemning the vast majority of a country of 80 million to poverty, by plundering and devouring underground and surface riches and everything imaginable, and by receiving the unlimited support of governments, they have reached a serious power.

This is not Turkey; this is Turkish capital. When we take back everything they stole from them, we will talk about a Turkey where people will live in brotherhood and equality.

However, today, no one should underestimate Turkish capitalism or Neo-Ottomanism, which is articulated with regional reactionism.

(…)

Loosening while expanding (2)

(…)

Capitalist Turkey harbors power and weakness at the same time. This situation, which is valid for all countries, has taken an interesting turn with the AKP's demagoguery of "getting rid of weaknesses by making a move." Some may be sincere in this. Others... Deliberately...

Once again, they have found a resonance with the US and NATO. This tense cooperation has a path that goes as far as Iran.

Then...

Those who think that this region will be left to Turkish capitalism afterwards are dreaming. This place is a real den of wolves.

Turkey is an important power, but an "expanding Turkey" will also be a country that is loosening and whose existence is questioned.

Imperial goals revive imperial memory. 1919-1923 is not that distant a history. It has not been forgotten.

Now, the stupidest thing to do under these conditions is to argue on the axis of whether Turkey is powerful or not. Trap or not. Move on.

Is it not known that nothing good will come from a social order that drowns life in gloom today? What more proof is expected? Or can any good come from imperialist interventions?

As a side note, I say that after what happened in Syria, the Republican accumulation in Turkey will either continue to ignore the reality that it is the holding order that is destroying Turkey by insisting on its old coordinates, or it will rebuild itself on a class basis. By saying "a trap is being set" from morning to night, one can neither be protected from the trap nor reach well-being.

Can there be a trap more troublesome and effective than capitalism?

We need to take the struggle against imperialist aggression and projects more seriously; we must never forget that the ideological and political line contained in Neo-Ottomanism is the line of big capital.

Trying to save the day by acting as if nothing has happened and positioning oneself within a destroyed line of struggle would probably be the most terrible choice.