The dream of uniting this composite and often divergent mosaic of peoples into a “common Turkic state” brought the birth of Pan-Turkism, at the end of the XIX century. Since then, the Pan-Turkist ideology has historically served the interests of all those powers interested in disintegrating Russia (first imperial and then Soviet). The collapse of the Soviet Union, with the consequent birth of newly independent Turkic countries, has given new life to dreams of Turkish imperialism.
Ankara’s Neo Pan-Turkism is divided over the scope and shape of its imagined new Turkish order. If creating an empire that includes areas of Iran, Russia and China is not a viable option, Turkey may attempt to use cultural influence to seek to destabilize those regions, and countries bordering them. Turkey is also seeking to strengthen its influence in the Caucasus and Central Asia at the expenses of Tehran, Moscow and Beijing.
Given Ankara’s membership to NATO, the Neo Pan-Turkism is not only the ideology of a new imperial Turkey, but also a weapon through which the US and Israel seek to secure control over energy resources and transportation routes from Central Asia and the Caspian Sea. Turkey has made its intentions clear. However, these types of social engineering programs bring with it the risk of a wider regional conflict, nuclear proliferation, and an all out regional war.
See also: ‘
West uses Syria to hit China, Russia and Iran’
