What they are saying is correct. But it doesn’t mean anything. The reason for this is that there are four factors that have intertwined as a result of globalization:a) Native components are rising and challenging nationalist components. In a sense, the European Union process is facilitating this. While native and traditional components used to be a piece of the main body and knew how to coexist with it, now it wants to describe itself as a minority. The reason for this is that it believes it can protect and maintain its existence if it lives within that small sphere. With the return to nativeness and traditionalism, there is a belief that the process can be resisted if native components are used.
b) Following native components, the second circle is neo-nationalism. The nation-state and nationalism are facing the worst attacks. Neo-nationalist values are being completely oppressed. From the bottom, native and traditional components are challenging these values and from the outside, global components are trying to unravel them. In this kind of psychological and cultural atmosphere, more emphasis is being placed on neo-nationalism, and this manifests in the form of nationalism. Those who are smart are seeking different kinds of regional integration in order to be able to overcome this process and be able to sustain their existence.
c) When we look at Turkey, there is one other factor. This factor is that Turkey is a country with the legacy of an empire. When we lost control of the Balkans, the people there started coming to Anatolia, and a while later Ankara was chosen as the capital. Almost all ethnic groups such as the Circassians, Georgians, Arabs, Kurds and Albanians in Turkey have relatives beyond the national borders. They are like a tree with branches reaching the Balkans, the Caucasus and the Middle East. People living within the national borders are remnants of the empire, and they have not been able to fully abandon the “community” idea and sense of belonging. Subconsciously they still hold strongly to this notion. There is a “nationalism” cover over it. When an incident occurs, for example, when Russians attack Circassians, Serbs attack Bosnians or Albanians, Israelis attack Palestinians or when Americans attack Iraqis, then with the reflex of being a Muslim and a former member of the empire the people naturally feel responsible. The Islam/religion factor plays an important role in this situation. When Islam is removed as a reference and a dominating and determinant discourse, then nationalism will start to take its place.
d) There is one last factor. The dissemination of propaganda that a Kurdish state exists in northern Iraq despite our opposition and that Armenia is going to become more active in eastern Anatolia is being perceived as a threat. According to our subconscious, they should be under our wing and protection. But the concept is changing. This change is manifesting in the form of a national reaction against America, Israel, Armenia and Armenians.
In light of all these factors, the result is that things have changed, and this change is disturbing the entire region. Egypt and the Arab world are undergoing a similar process, and everyone is asking themselves the same question, “How can I exist in this new world?”
German philosopher Jurgen Habermas said: “The West introduced secularism and imposed it on the world, but secularism or secularity does not yield anything but nihilism. How can we overcome nihilism whilst remaining secular? Perhaps we need to develop new methods.”
Europe cannot overcome xenophobia, racism and intolerance until it overcomes secularism that turns into nihilism. This failure means more nationalism. The result of more nationalism is a deepening continuation of the current crisis.
