What Should Our National Turkistan Policy Be?

Is it just me, the Republic of Turkey is very different when viewed from the outside; a large, regional leader, a powerful state; When one enters into it, it seems to me that the world of a person suddenly becomes smaller, narrower and stubby. I will never forget, when I was in Syria, a Syrian Arab friend of mine said, "When we look up from Aleppo, we see Turkey like Russia." What do you think, don't you think so? You understand this better when you come back from abroad from time to time, stay out for at least ten or more than ten days and enter your country. I don't know, maybe it just seems that way to me. Our situation is something like “riddle-reporting slide-on-tongue”, that is. Now, let's ask ourselves a riddle on top of that! “I looked from the outside, it was a green tomb, I went into it a thousand times of repentance.” Don't be too hard on your mind, the answer to this riddle is "nettle". The "nettle" that we know covers the mountain and the slope with the spring. And unfortunately, we have to explain this situation to our "intellectual-lace", not your hand, which is extremely stubby and alienated as if it has put its hand in nettle, but transformed. In their world of perception, the cognate issues that Turkey might come across as a regional power, and the existence of a geography like Turkestan in their minds and memories, it seems like nothing. Believe me, I don't know. If anyone knows, take it a step further. This is not something like a thinking elephant is called a 'philosopher', of course, it's a joke, like a really tried and experienced truth. While crossing the 'Karakum Desert' in Turkestan, we discussed similar questions and the problems that we took from the situation, my dear theologian friend Prof. Dr. With Mevlut Uyanık. While discussing the problematized issues, we could not understand how some of the "Karakum Desert", one of the largest deserts in the world, where the Seljuk army defeated the "Ghaznavids" in 1040 and started the process of establishing a state, ended. “The journey is long, the subject is deep.” It was like we were entering a vortex. This is very different from what is written on the back of a truck in traffic flowing in front of you in Turkey, it's like "another truck letter"...

What will we do as Turkey? Let's dive into this a little bit. As you know, the language we speak in common is Turkish, which makes us dependent on this geography. In fact, the language we speak is not very different, it is almost the same, more or less, the dialects and dialects are slightly different. But when we refer to the writing, the written language, yes, this is true, we have been marginalized and alienated from each other with the written language. Instead of institutionalizing the similarities, "differentiations" have been expanded as much as possible, and "modularization" has been adopted instead of being integrated, so to speak. However, there is no need to say too much, as the late Mustafa Çokay, the staunch defender of the Great Turkish Ancestor "National Turkistan Case", said, "The people have one blood, one language, one religion, one purpose." The Turkish nation, who is proud of their dismay, has shown that the level of solidarity displayed by the strength of the image of the common past is directly proportional to the image of the common past, which is kneaded with the famous "Asabiyyah Theory" of Ibn Khaldun and "Theory of Collective Memory" of Maurice Halbwachs, in almost every layer, and today it still is. continues to exhibit. No one can remove this from the DNA-RNA of the people of Turkey-Turkestan. However, as a result of the institutionalization of distinctions, a "common written language" could not be formed in the context of "modular culture". We are alienated first, then alienated and alienated by being transformed into mutants. In short, the genetic codes that enable the hereditary characteristics of Turkish society to emerge have been attacked directly, not indirectly. What should we do after all this, let's make an inference? Yes, let's put it. The concept of alienation has been one of the most fundamental problems of the individual and society in philosophy as well as in other social areas in the history of humanity. As an individual and organizational behavior, people can become alienated even from themselves. The concept of alienation is the deterioration of the relationship between the subject and the object, or between consciousness and defined objects, or the othering of the subject directly. This is exactly the issue that needs to be examined between Turkey and Turkistan. If you allow the subject to be marginalized, you will see that you have evaporated, disappeared. Because the concept of alienation, in its general meaning, is an action or development that distances something or someone from something else or someone, and renders it alien to something or anyone.

Let's not forget, your 'ABECE' language; Language is a process in the development of national identity. Turks, as far as can be determined today, have expressed their selves and identities with 13 'ABECE' throughout their 1300-year written history, and have transferred their past to the future. “13 When you say 'ABECE', these are Kokturk, Sogdian Uyghur, Mani, Brahmi, Tibetan, Syriac, Arab, Armenian, Greek, Hebrew, Latin, Cyrillic "abces". Not fully understood 

a, we Turks also used the “Syriac, Armenian, Greek, Hebrew, Cyrillic” alphabets, for a long time. Well, did we have our own alphabet? Of course there was. One of them is the "Futhark" alphabet. Gokturk and Germanic tribes created their own alphabet, the most used alphabet, Latin, starting from the "Futhark" alphabet. Let us emphasize once again, five of the most commonly used alphabets; It is the alphabet of “Köktürk, Uyghur, Arab, Latin and Cyrillic”. Just as language is an important tool in the development of national identity, 'Abece' has a very important place in the development of language and its integration with the world. Köktürk Alphabet M.S. VIII. and IX. It was used by Köktürks and Uyghurs in the centuries. M.S. VIII. The texts engraved on Köktürk bengü stones in the first half of the century were written with this alphabet. Uyghur alphabet, M.S. IX. and XVII. It was used by the Uyghur Turks for centuries. M.S. XI. In the second half of the century, Kaşgarlı Mahmut records that the 18-letter Uighur alphabet was used in all Turkish languages ​​and the Turkish script was written with these letters. This record is M.S. XI. It shows that the Uyghur alphabet reached the level of a national alphabet used by the Turks in the 19th century.

Arabic alphabet M.S. XI. It was used from the 19th century until the late 1920s. For nine centuries, this alphabet has been the common alphabet of the entire Muslim Turkic world. The common alphabet has served the unity of "Spirit, Nefs, Heart and Soul". In the late 1920s, the Turkic Republics in the Soviet Union and the Republic of Turkey switched to the Latin alphabet almost together. However, after a while, especially after Lenin's death, Turkestan, which was forced to be "Krill" and imported to the Soviet geography, unlike Hegel, Marx and their predecessors, was diversified by removing its national character and Soviet citizens of Turkish origin were marginalized against each other. To put it more accurately, our cognates, although they switched to the Cyrillic alphabet, were alienated from each other by symbolizing the sounds of the letters with different letters. On the other hand, our compatriots in Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and East Turkestan still use the Arabic alphabet today.

When the legacy from the Soviets and the period until today are evaluated; It is observed that the independent "Turkish Republics" founded by our compatriots are almost squirming in search of their own common identity. The Turkish World is faced with two questions here. The first of these; "I wonder if the sovereign nation (sovereign nation) within the state formation formed by the Soviets on problematic identities should be continued?" The second is “Or should it be seen as necessary and necessary to combine the consciousness of the nation in a single word?” I think this is exactly the problem. This is the question that has been sought and needs to be answered for almost three decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union. It is possible to multiply the questions, of course.

I wonder in the geography of Turkestan; Should İsmail Gaspıralı's "unity in language, work and ideal" utopia, which continued until the beginning of the First World War, be considered as a nationalization project again? Let me give a short answer to this. I think yes. If the answer to this question is yes, should Kazakhstan or Uzbekistan carry the torch or flag? First of all, "Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan cooperation is the rebirth of Turkistan." let's say. Uzbek-Kazakh relations started to develop strongly after the death of Islam Karimov, and in this context, when the new President of Uzbekistan, Şavkat Mirziyoyev, took office officially in 2017, he made one of his first overseas trips to the sister country in the north. Likewise, the new President of Kazakhstan, Kasım Jomart Tokayev, who came to power after Nazarbayev, made his first foreign trip to Uzbekistan. This was an important step in getting rid of the shadow of RF's brotherhood. With this in mind, Turkish Heads of State held their first advisory meeting in Astana on March 21, 2018, independently of Russia. One of the most important points in Uzbek-Kazakh relations is that both states have decided to switch to the Latin alphabet in recent years. Secondly, with the joint initiative of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, the implementation of the "Silk Road" visa between Turkish states, such as the Schengen visa in force in the European Union, is on the agenda. I think that in the continuation of these initiatives, the roads are opened one by one for the rebirth of National Turkestan. As I travel on the extremely perfect concrete roads of the "Silk Road", built with the support of the PRC, all this comes to life again in front of my eyes. The architects of the "National Turkistan Ideal" are Veli Kayyum Han, who devoted their lives to the cause of "Pax Turkistan" (Turkestan Peace) and I remember the superhuman efforts of Mustafa Çokay, and I bow respectfully to their spiritual personalities.

What am I trying to say, the nation-state created by the Soviets by promoting sub-identities? 

Instead of insisting on the model, the process of forming a common nation should be addressed first and foremost. Because it has been tried, all the negativities have been seen, the problems have been internalized. Sir, the general principle that should not be forgotten is the principle that "A state cannot be built without building a nation". Still, in a Sovietized country, a state founded on a recruited nation should not be insisted on. If you do, you will not gain anything and what you are trying to do will only be expressed with a big zero. So what should be done then? The similarities of the “Turkish Cultural Heritage” in the Sovietized, differentiated, alienated and autonomized former Turkestan geography must be institutionalized. There are two important features that make the Kemalist Modernization model superior and permanent in Turkey's vision for the region. One of these features; Whatever the circumstances, the modernization process and democracy should not be considered separately. It should not be forgotten that democracy is not a system imported from the west, it is a form of government that is suitable for our own traditional culture and standards, used in the old Turkish states and taken as an example.

The other is; The primary goal is to seek permanence in the institutionalization of similarities, not on ethnic or class differences, of national unity. The main lines of Turkey's 'National Turkistan' Policy to be applied to the region can be summarized as follows:

- The process of forming a nation on the basis of "National Turkistan" should be dealt with first, instead of insisting on the nation-state model put forward by the Soviets by encouraging sub-identities. Thankfully, it has started to come back.

- The state formation formed by the Soviets on problematic identities should be quickly abandoned to the sovereign nation (core state), which does not integrate the nation, but rather separates it.

- Nation consciousness in nation building is not "Turkic"; should be combined in a single word "Turkish" phenomenon.

- The similarities of the “Turkish Cultural Heritage” that have been Sovietized, differentiated, alienated, autonomous and marginalized with each other in very small geographies should be institutionalized first.

- When the Soviet Union collapsed, the “Union of Central Asian Republics” put forward by Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev was only the first of the important rings in shaping the future. It is known that when the Soviet Union collapsed, such a way was used in order not to frighten the RF and the PRC. To say it after thirty years of experience, "Turkish Utopia" should be "Turkish Union" like the "European Union" modeling integrated by geography and cultural identity. As Nazarbayev puts it, “Even the EU has not dreamed of such a common point in its establishment. The process of the EU's evolution into the United States of Europe “Turkish United States” should be the great utopia of the Turk.

- "Turkmenistan" must be added to the "Union of Turkic Republics" project, which is the eastern axis of the Turkish world, and a similar union must be urgently established between Turkey and Azerbaijan, which is the western axis. In this context, the western axis and the eastern axis should be prepared for a meaningful integration in the near future.

- The traditional abstractionist policies, which see the Turkish world as a passive tool, should be abandoned at all costs and should adopt an active policy.

- Kazakhstan's 'Turkistan' province should be considered as a starting point, in the vision of farsightedness, the spiritual architects of Turkestan, Hoca Ahmet Yesevi and similarly his teacher "Arslan Bab", together with the pioneering ideas of Imam Buhari, Imam Maturidi, Shah-i The ideas and thoughts of Nakşibendî, Necmeddin Kübra and Farabi should be taken as a basis in the form of a planning guide in transforming the Turkish geography into 'Turkestan'.

- The perception and thought of "National Turkistan" should be based on the institutionalization of similarities, not on the national unity, tribe and class differences that will be created in the nation-building specific to Turkestan.

- The liberal weighted mixed economic model adopted today should keep the national consciousness at the highest level. From this point of view, the concept of home should be identified with "National Turkistan".

- The Turkish World should build an active policy in line with the "National Turkistan" option, the framework of which is determined jointly, not according to the policies produced, imposed and instilled abroad.

- China's "EURASIA"; "Turkey and Turkistan Geopolitics" should be adopted against the "AVRUSIA" option of the Russian Federation, and its struggle should be put forward.

- Just like the RF, it should never be forgotten that with the awareness that the Republic of Turkey is in Eurasia, its future cannot be built by neglecting this geography.

- Turkism, based on the ideology of the Turkic world, "Moderate Islam", "Salafi Islam" and "Racial Nationalism", until the "National Turkistan Consciousness" reaches the level to be formed, can be used in almost every way just outside the borders. 

Instead of insisting on the model, the process of forming a common nation should be addressed first and foremost. Because it has been tried, all the negativities have been seen, the problems have been internalized. Sir, the general principle that should not be forgotten is the principle that "A state cannot be built without building a nation". Still, in a Sovietized country, a state founded on a recruited nation should not be insisted on. If you do, you will not gain anything and what you are trying to do will only be expressed with a big zero. So what should be done then? The similarities of the “Turkish Cultural Heritage” in the Sovietized, differentiated, alienated and autonomized former Turkestan geography must be institutionalized. There are two important features that make the Kemalist Modernization model superior and permanent in Turkey's vision for the region. One of these features; Whatever the circumstances, the modernization process and democracy should not be considered separately. It should not be forgotten that democracy is not a system imported from the west, it is a form of government that is suitable for our own traditional culture and standards, used in the old Turkish states and taken as an example.

The other is; The primary goal is to seek permanence in the institutionalization of similarities, not on ethnic or class differences, of national unity. The main lines of Turkey's 'National Turkistan' Policy to be applied to the region can be summarized as follows:

- The process of forming a nation on the basis of "National Turkistan" should be dealt with first, instead of insisting on the nation-state model put forward by the Soviets by encouraging sub-identities. Thankfully, it has started to come back.

- The state formation formed by the Soviets on problematic identities should be quickly abandoned to the sovereign nation (core state), which does not integrate the nation, but rather separates it.

- Nation consciousness in nation building is not "Turkic"; should be combined in a single word "Turkish" phenomenon.

- The similarities of the “Turkish Cultural Heritage” that have been Sovietized, differentiated, alienated, autonomous and marginalized with each other in very small geographies should be institutionalized first.

- When the Soviet Union collapsed, the “Union of Central Asian Republics” put forward by Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev was only the first of the important rings in shaping the future. It is known that when the Soviet Union collapsed, such a way was used in order not to frighten the RF and the PRC. To say it after thirty years of experience, "Turkish Utopia" should be "Turkish Union" like the "European Union" modeling integrated by geography and cultural identity. As Nazarbayev puts it, “Even the EU has not dreamed of such a common point in its establishment. The process of the EU's evolution into the United States of Europe “Turkish United States” should be the great utopia of the Turk.

- "Turkmenistan" must be added to the "Union of Turkic Republics" project, which is the eastern axis of the Turkish world, and a similar union must be urgently established between Turkey and Azerbaijan, which is the western axis. In this context, the western axis and the eastern axis should be prepared for a meaningful integration in the near future.

- The traditional abstractionist policies, which see the Turkish world as a passive tool, should be abandoned at all costs and should adopt an active policy.

- Kazakhstan's 'Turkistan' province should be considered as a starting point, in the vision of farsightedness, the spiritual architects of Turkestan, Hoca Ahmet Yesevi and similarly his teacher "Arslan Bab", together with the pioneering ideas of Imam Buhari, Imam Maturidi, Shah-i The ideas and thoughts of Nakşibendî, Necmeddin Kübra and Farabi should be taken as a basis in the form of a planning guide in transforming the Turkish geography into 'Turkestan'.

- The perception and thought of "National Turkistan" should be based on the institutionalization of similarities, not on the national unity, tribe and class differences that will be created in the nation-building specific to Turkestan.

- The liberal weighted mixed economic model adopted today should keep the national consciousness at the highest level. From this point of view, the concept of home should be identified with "National Turkistan".

- The Turkish World should build an active policy in line with the "National Turkistan" option, the framework of which is determined jointly, not according to the policies produced, imposed and instilled abroad.

- China's "EURASIA"; "Turkey and Turkistan Geopolitics" should be adopted against the "AVRUSIA" option of the Russian Federation, and its struggle should be put forward.

- Just like the RF, it should never be forgotten that with the awareness that the Republic of Turkey is in Eurasia, its future cannot be built by neglecting this geography.

- Turkism, based on the ideology of the Turkic world, "Moderate Islam", "Salafi Islam" and "Racial Nationalism", until the "National Turkistan Consciousness" reaches the level to be formed, can be used in almost every way just outside the borders.