CREATING ANKARA-FOCUSED SOLUTIONS IN THE RUSSIA UKRAINE WAR
While studying texts on Contemporary Islamic Thinkers and Turkish Intellectual History as an elective at the Faculty of Theology at Hitit University, the method we follow is to read the thinker we are studying as a living and contemporary figure in the context of analytical philosophy. We ask ourselves if we can go beyond this comparative philosophy and philosophize with these scholars, analyze their concerns and solution proposals, what we can say to the present or contribute to the current solution proposals.
Contemporary Islamic Thought means the changes and transformations in Europe since 1699, their effects on the Muslim peoples in the Ottoman, Arab and Indian-Pakistan region, and we comrade with our scholars who produced solutions to the problems experienced at that time.
This week, we took Ahmet Vefik Pasha to the center. Under the name of Moscow-Kyiv, Paris, London and Washington-based negotiations, polarizations began to increase. We, on the other hand, would like to commemorate Ahmet Vefik Pasha, one of the most important bureaucrats raised by the Ottoman Empire, in order to support those who try to make Ankara-based readings by avoiding the misfortune of undated readings. Let me first present the following comments that I care about:
Eşref Özdemir, who shared his articles with us as a research writer in Strasam, said, “A restructured Russia without Putin and integrated into the Western system would be an invaluable ally for the USA in the Chinese policy, and the Russian-Ukrainian war forces the EU and NATO countries to take sides with the USA. and pushed them to question their security strategies again”,
Again Strasam Director Dr. Hüseyin FAZLA, “The thing that occupies the minds of statesmen the most is how they will use their power to realize the rights and interests of their country”,
AÜSBF faculty member Taşansu Türker said, "The Russia-Ukraine war is about the construction of a new international political architecture, China's coming to the fore as a revisionist actor against the strengthening Anglo-American bloc in this process and basically the war is the struggle of the West and China"
In the light of his determinations, let us convey our negotiations with Ahmet Vefik Pasha and Halil İnalcık in the lessons.
Avoiding the Misfortune of Undated Readings:
As it is known, “Ottoman Reforms and the Birth of Modern Turkey” goes back to 1699. If we read this in terms of Russia, during the wars of 1683-1699, it joined the Holy Alliance, that is, the union formed by the Habsburgs with Poland and Venice with the blessing of the Papacy, and when it seized Azov in 1696 and entered the Black Sea, it became a threat to Istanbul.
It is a Danger for Russia to Act Together with European States:
What happened to us when Russia got involved in the Western bloc to avoid the misfortune of undated readings? If what is happening today is to bring a Russia without Putin to the ranks of Europe in the Sino-West war, the importance of Ankara-centered stances becomes more evident instead of oscillating among the scenarios discussed in the capitals of these countries by remembering those times.
As a matter of fact, Russia (1783), which annexed the Crimea and the Northern Black Sea countries just like now, put the whole of Europe in alarm at that time. It aimed to establish new naval bases in Akyar (Sevastopol) and Odessa in the Black Sea, and to cut off Ukraine's contact with the Black Sea; He also threatened Istanbul and the Straits.
In the meantime, we should not forget the negotiations for the division of the Ottoman country between Russia and Austria after the war against Russia in 1787, and the efforts to revive Byzantium under the auspices of Russia.
In this process, that is, in the context of 1839, 1856 and 1877, the Ottoman Empire took serious measures for integration with the West in its external and internal structure. I and II. Attempts were made to transition to the parliamentary system with the declarations of the Constitutional Monarchy.
In the context of the Russian-Ukrainian war, Russia attacked Crimea and Ukraine, which it found defenseless, in 1796. It was later revealed that it was a distraction tactic that he wanted the German Emperor, an ally of Russia, to act as a mediator to the Ottomans for peace negotiations.
When Russia seized the opportunity it sought to avenge its 1856 defeat, it supported major Bosnian and Bulgarian uprisings in the Balkans. With the Ottoman government's declaration of financial bankruptcy, he declared war on the belief that Western public opinion was lost and that the Western states would remain neutral. The 1877-1878 War resulted in the loss of large territories in the Balkans and the disintegration of the empire.
The First Parliament (National Assembly) convened in 1878 was basically an effort to transition to a constitutional system with the support of Western states against Russia's destruction projects. Its chairman was Ahmet Vefik Pasha, but the Assembly was suspended after a short time. On the bankruptcy of the Ottoman policy, II. Abdulhamid, Western influence and a strong Islamist movement against the Tanzimat policy prioritized control of state policy.
If we say with the determinations of İnalcık teacher, after the birth of a united strong Germany, Russia, like France and England, against this.
The Triple Alliance was formed, making it an ally of the western powers. In this case, after the 1878 Berlin Congress, important changes took place in the European power balance and the Ottoman Empire was once again isolated in the face of Russia. Today, no one can say that this risk will not exist, right?
Taking advantage of the helplessness of the Ottoman Empire in the face of the Russian advances in the Balkans and the Caucasus in the 93 War, England took the lion's share of the disintegration of the empire by entering the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, as well as the occupation of Cyprus in 1878 and Egypt in 1882. The old promises of assurances of the British Empire, which now believed that it had personally taken control of the Indian route, were forgotten. (Halil İnalcık. Turkishness, Islam and Ottoman Heritage, (Istanbul: Kırmızı Yayınları, 3rd Edition, 2016), 204 ff.)
Bureaucrat with Experiences in England, France, Russia and Iran: Ahmet Vefik Pasha
Ahmet Vefik Pasha should be remembered fondly when it comes to the solution of the political problems experienced in the '93 war and after, in a way that will survive the refugee influx with the least damage.
“Pasha, who was the embassy in Paris and Tehran, is a person who knows many things and has full knowledge of the current political economy of the world. He is the most suitable person for this job as he is in a position to be in close contact with Iranian, Russian and British ambassadors. At that time, the French were the ones who reversed their plans to invade Syria by getting the support of England at the conference held in Paris to negotiate the situation between England, France, Prussia, Austria, Russia and Turkey and to conclude a contract.
Ahmet Vefik Pasha, who was appointed as the Extraordinary Commissar of Wallachia and Moldavia, also called Memleketeyn, in 1849, deals with the refugee problem, which Russia and Austria have brought up to the threat of a declaration of war for their extradition.
It undertakes the task of executing the decisions reached at the Balta Limani Conference and the contacts with the Tsar on the subject of the Hungarian Revolution refugees who took refuge in Turkey, which is a serious problem for the state, solves the refugee problem and ensures their settlement in Anatolia.
He chooses a time of trouble in Europe, a time when Russia will make it easier for him to take over the country, claiming a self-proclaimed right to preserve its existence and to crush every awakening nation. As a matter of fact, the Ottoman Army was defeated in the 1877-1878 Ottoman-Russian War, which we know as the 93 War, and the Russian army came to Istanbul. Ahmet Vefik Pasha made an effort to alleviate the heavy treaty conditions of Russia and prevented the surrender of the navy. Because the Ottoman Empire was tired and indebted, it played an important role in repelling the moves of the Western countries with great intelligence and kindness.
Conclusion:
In short, there are many scenarios and theories in the war between Russia and Ukraine, if a Russia without Putin and Europe are to be brought together for the second time and a West-China war will be waged, Ankara-based projects will be evaluated in the light of historical accumulations and with the least damage or the least possible from this war. May my Lord give peace to our managers who are trying to get out with good profits.
