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

“Soft” cultural penetration is among the most important tools on which Turkey relies to implement its policy of expansion towards the Arab world, adopting a clear strategy for soft power which, at first sight, aims to prepare the Arab peoples to accept Turkish culture and the Turkish value system, but in fact try to promote and defend their policies. His positions on 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 turned into a later stage to focus on the historical and military aspects that re-glorify the history of The Turkish Empire promotes the revival of the Ottoman Caliphate, as it forms the spiritual or cultural basis for acceptance by the Arab world of the “new Ottomanism” that the regime of Recep Tayyip Erdogan has begun to implement on the ground in recent years. Observers of the Turkish historical drama clearly note that it aims to promote a series of messages prepared with great care and skill, including, for example, but not limited to, that “Turkey is the leader of the Islamic world” and that it is “the first defender of Islamic causes. “Ertugrul” bin Suleiman Shah, the father of Osman I, the founder of the Ottoman Empire, and who is observed by millions of people in the Arab world, is nothing more than an attempt to once again promote the unity of the Islamic world around to a charismatic leader, so it’s no surprise that this series has won the admiration of Erdogan, who seeks to portray himself. That he is the “Artgrel” of this time, and that he is “this expected leader” responsible for the unification of the Islamic world.

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

This soft cultural penetration into the Arab world, which can be called the “soft war”, appears on his face an expression of Turkey’s “soft power”, but in reality it is in no way different from his direct military intervention in many Arab countries. , because it aims to change the culture of peoples. And make them accept Turkish policies and defend them even if they restore the glories of the Ottoman Empire, which is based on the annexation of parts of Arab countries and the seizure of their wealth. It is no exaggeration to say in this context that it was the policy of “soft penetration” that paved the way for Turkey to intervene in the affairs of the Arab world in this brazen way that does not respect the principles of neighborly law or the national sovereignty of countries Arabs, but rather behaves – like the old colonial states – as an imperial power that seeks to impose its will on the Arab world and grasp its capabilities by imposing a fait accompli in areas where it is militarily located, such as in northern Syria or the region Kurdistan of Iraq or Libya, or those who seek to strengthen their influence in it in the future, especially the countries where the “Brotherhood” group is active, in an attempt to revive the project of political Islam in the region .

If the Arab countries have realized the seriousness of Turkey’s expansion project, and have begun to take clear positions for their interventions in the crisis areas of the Arab world, it is also necessary to address the policy of cultural penetration at the same time. “soft” 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 awareness of the Arab peoples. It is no longer acceptable now to continue broadcasting many Turkish series on Arab satellite channels around the clock at a time when Turkey continues to realize its historic ambitions in the Arab world. By fueling the fires of conflicts and supporting extremist and terrorist groups, demolish the foundations of the nation state in many Arab countries and start from them to revive the “new Ottomanism”.

* Quoted from “Al-Ittihad”