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An Analysis of the Turkish-Greek Relations
from Greek 'Self' and Turkish 'Other' Perspective: Causes of Antagonism
and Preconditions for Better Relationships
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H�seyin Isiksal*
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Many would suggest that Turkish-Greek relations have entered on a new phase in recent years in the post-Cold War era. Nevertheless, questions are being asked about how traditional and ingredient antagonisms along with clash of interests between two countries can be redefined to accommodate the causes of failures and what are the sorts of issues that need to be addressed as the preconditions for better relationships? The contention of this paper is that there is no direct hostility or antagonisms between the two nations. Instead, identities has been shaped and constructed in accordance with regime benefits. Consequently, political culture and perceptions of states as understood in terms of norms, values and foreign policy orientations, proclaim expressive totality over identity since the society is subordinated to the state. Accordingly, Turkish-Greek antagonism rooted to the historical past and was shaped by the current implications compatible with the real world issues. Therefore it needs broad analysis differing from past to present. Departing from this statement, initially I should provide a brief overview of historical background and its contribution to the Turkish-Greek antagonism. The chronological structure and brief reference to history aims at retaining analytical cogency and descriptive relevancy as an explanation of what has come before and after. Since the scope is enormous and the space is limited, I emphasize on the independence of Greece and post independence period along with its consequences and implications in Turkish-Greek relations. For this section, simply it would be put forward that Greeks contact with Europe through merchant facilities & Diaspora communities, and earlier inducement of capitalist mode of relations have changed Greek perceptions about Turks and strengthened their 'European' identity objectives that are at the core of the antagonism between two states. Understanding Turkish-Greek relations requires a complex analysis that should connect the past to the present. By keeping this complexity in mind, in the next section I have tried to provide with a theoretical framework for analyzing the causes of antagonism from the perspective of Greek 'Self' and Turkish 'Other' image identities. It is benefitable to stress that this paper will not present a detailed expression of internal issues and dynamics of the Turkish-Greek antagonism from the traditional military/geopolitical perspective. Instead, my concern and examination based on psychological, identical, and political aspects of the Turkish-Greek relations. Thus traditional conflicting issues such as Cyprus and Aegean Sea & Islands will be given only marginal emphasis. In this connection, lastly, I would like to remind to the reader that Turkish-Greek relations always remained as a sensitive issue in which national and ethnic character of both communities did not make it possible to be totally 'objective'. Thus this analysis tended to not deeply involve in 'sensitive' political issues by regarding the academic nature of this paper. Furthermore, parameters of this research do not give room for the very detailed analysis of extensive and complex Turkish-Greek relations. Eventually, it become compulsory to be selective on what should be within the scope of this paper and what should be left out with reservation of the author. Historical Background of Turkish-Greek Antagonism According to the historians, from the Fifth to the Seventh Century Greece was invaded by Goths, Huns, and Slavs, whose depredations destroyed urban life of the Greeks and brought Greek civilization to an end. In the late Eleventh Century, Greece again came under Western influence when Normans from Sicily invaded Greece. The Crusaders crossed Greece on their way to the Middle East and the Fourth Crusade was diverted to an attack on the Byzantine Empire in 1204. As a result of this attack, all of Greece, except the rugged interior, was occupied and divided into states ruled by Western princes or was controlled by the commercial republics of Venice and Genoa. This domination continued until the Ottoman Conquest in the Fifteenth Century, in which Greece remained under the Ottoman control for about four hundred years. This short historical preview arguably demonstrates
that Greek community was already frustrated by various powers that led
the development of self-esteem, defense mechanism and normative principle
of "Greeks should be ruled by Greeks". Putting it differently,
this psychological construct that depends on unreliability against the
foreigners was not something special to the Turks or Ottomans. It was
a natural result of painful experiences of the past. By keeping this assumption
in mind, the fall of Greek's holy city and capital (Istanbul/Constantinople)
to Turks could be highlighted as initial historical antagonism against
Turks. (1) This event has a deep psychological impact that as the Ottomans
conquered Istanbul on Tuesday, that day considered as the unpropitious
day of the week and remains unforgotten for Greeks even for today. (2)
Nevertheless, after the conquest of Istanbul in 1453,
Sultan (Conqueror) Mehmed the Second declared that Greek Orthodox Church
would be free in its religious practices. As he appointed the Patriarch
of Istanbul as the leader of the whole Orthodox millet (community) living
in the Ottoman Empire. The millet system that is the main political organization
towards the non-Muslims led grouping of the non-Muslim communities under
their religious institutions. Since the Sharia (Muslim religious law)
could not be applied to the non-Muslims in the Ottoman Empire. Since the
Greek Orthodox Church had its own freedom, naturally, the Greek community
was able to preserve its language, religion, and culture within the Ottoman
Empire. Eventually, Greeks had a unique chance to create Greek local autonomy
in the Balkan Peninsula. Thus, Greece separation from the Ottoman Empire
as the first nation-state was not a phenomenon that happened by coincidence.
Greeks were more motivated to acquire their independence than any other
Balkan nation due to the freedom of the Greek Orthodox church that preserved
Greek's language religion, and culture along with keeping the memories
alive of Greek glorious past. Needless to say that freedom play a crucial role in
the development of Greek self-consciousness especially in the Nineteenth
Century following the French Revolution. Thus when the military and economic
structures of the Ottoman Empire began to disintegrate and decline, the
French revolution influenced and contributed to the revolutionary spirit
of the Greek War of Independence. The idea of the liberty and equality
made impact on Greeks who were ready to turn back the ancient glories
and liberties of old Greeks. Since Greece is a mountainous country with
flat land restricted to many small coastal plains, Greeks increase their
interactions with Europe through merchant facilities. At this point, arguably
Greeks contact with Europe through merchant facilities and Diaspora communities
played a crucial role on initial formation of psychological barriers between
Turks and Greeks. For instance, Greek merchants carry the European ideas
to the Ottoman Empire and convey European & Western drive for an "idealized
reconstruction of the ancient Greek civilization" (3). Thus, through
the establishment of Sovereign Greek state initial distinction between
the inside (Greece) and outside (Ottomans) constructed for the confirmation
of Greek institutional, cultural and territorial specificity. Another important point at the formation of psychological
antagonism between two entities is the comparatively early transition
of Greece to the capitalist mode of production after its independence.
Greece was more ready than any other Balkan state including Turkey for
the transition to the capitalist mode of production and administration.
Main reason behind this was Turkish disdainful attitude towards trade
and merchant activities partly because of the religious and cultural reasons.
This attitude paves the way of non-Muslim communities in the Ottoman Empire
to be in total control of trade within the Ottoman Empire. Greeks were
not the exception. Especially Greek hegemony in merchant and maritime
activities allow them to extend their operations through major European
urban centers. Furthermore, the industrialization and capitalization of
the Britain in the second half of the Eighteenth Century directly influenced
and shaped the newly born Greek state. Western capital, in the form of
railway investments and government loans prepared the ground for the growth
of industrial capitalism in Greece. To epitomize, all these modernization
movements shaped the Greek economy and led the dominance of the capitalist
mode of production especially towards the end of the Nineteenth Century.
Accordingly, there was a close consistency between Greece
comparatively early inducement of capitalist mode of production and causes
of psychological antagonism between Turks and Greeks. As Greeks increased
their knowledge about European ideas through Diaspora communities and
highly developed merchant activities, they started to develop their knowledge
and experiences about real world issues. This improvement in their socio-economic
life backed up by their traditionally alive culture that Greeks proud
of. Consequently, Greeks started to feel superior both economically and
intellectually from their Turkish counterparts and everything remained
from the Ottoman Empire bound to erode within the pages of history. In
other words, Greeks privileged 'the West' as representative of 'progress'
where Ottoman Empire and Turks represented past, underdevelopment and
traditionality. This construction also allows Greeks to justify their
independence struggle against 'imperial' power and 'uncivilized' community.
Finally, comparatively early achievement of modernization
of Greece helped to fill the space between theoretically constructed objectives
and practical implications. For instance, after 1864, the first democratic
Constitution had been publicized and the country witnessed the first major
effort to modernize the economic, and administrative structure under the
leadership of President Trikoupis. In this phase of rapid overall development,
economic and administrative revolutions have been followed by the development
of middle class, banking system and the merchant navy. Evolutionary departure
point of all these efforts was the New Greek Constitution of 1910 (during
Venizelos Presidency) that individual liberties were guaranteed and the
formulations of a state of law were laid. It was quite clear that governmental
activities in all sectors confirmed country's self-confidence and virtualization
of identity distinction between Greeks and Turks in which its impacts
even lasts for present times. The Emergence of Greek 'Self' and Turkish 'Other'
Image Identities Another important point that should be stressed on the
causes of Turkish-Greek antagonism is not only the construction of Self-Other
image but also the putting 'Other' to a lower cultural space. In other
words, in this antagonism, both sides objectives were to allocate the
other to an inferior moral space by promoting itself to the superior morality.
At this point, Vamik Volkan and Norman Itzkowitz put forward that Western
and especially Greek and British diplomats, politicians, and writers tended
to view that Greeks suffered under the rule of Turks who were nomads,
uncivilized, and sadistic people. (5) Furthermore Ottoman Turks widely
defined as filthy, lazy, and fanatical and were associated with duplicity,
sensuality, and brutality. Eventually, Turkish 'Other' civilization constructed
as an essentially religious, anti-rational, bureaucratic system lacked
the necessary characteristics that had made European progress possible.
In this connection, a corollary of this argument could be perceived within
the words of famous Greek writer Nikos Kazantzakis:
Thus, Greeks' efforts to free themselves from the Ottoman
Rule was not restricted to political freedom for the sake of independent
nation and the country but also to re-create cultural and moral superiority.
Consequently, while Greeks try to create moral and cultural superiority
for the solidification of national unity and to hinder the socio-economic
and political problems of the newly established republic, inevitably,
the seeds of antagonism for the next generations have been planted that
impedes the way for closer relationships between two countries even today.
In the contemporary times, the clash between the Turkish
'Other' and Greek 'Self' take the form of clash between 'European' and
'democratic' identity versus non-democratic Turkish identity eager to
intervene and resort to military force in any possible time. Theodore
Couloumbis views this view as "since the 1960 military coup in Turkey,
Turkish politics is under direct influence of the military especially
on its foreign policy." (7) Van Coufoudakis further suggests that
many incidents are artificially created by Turkish media and exploited
by Turkish administrators in order to enhance their political position
at home as witnessed in Imia (Kardak) incident. (8) According to Coufoudakis,
these incidents were done intentionally in order to keep Turkish military
to focus on external problems rather than domestic politics. (9) Yannis
Valinakis added that Turkey's intervention in Cyprus confirmed the fears
of the Greeks that Turkey would not hesitate to use any military means
to solve the Aegean question by referring to the Turkish intervention
of Cyprus in 1974. (10) With the words of Fanny PaIIi Petralia Turkey
represent a real threat to Aegean islands while Greece represents no threat
to Asia Minor. (11) Current Sources of Antagonism and Implication of
these on Greek 'Self' Turkish 'Other' Problematique There is no need to stress that European Union membership
has leveled up Greek economy and Greek society as it further shaped the
European Greek 'Self' while distinguishing Turkish 'Other'. Additional
to its demographic weaknesses, Greek economy has been seriously injured
during the Second World War and Greek Civil War (1946-1949) between Communists
(EAM-ELAS) and Royalist armies EDES following the Second World War. Thus
when Greece became the member of the European Union in 1981, as a comparatively
poorer, less prosperous, and peripheral state of the European Union, community
funds were crucial for Greek economy. For instance, financial aids from
the European Union amounted to five percent of the country's Gross Domestic
Product in 1992. In short, European Union membership satisfies both economic
and political benefits as it serves confirmation of European identity.
Thus it is quite natural that Greece carries the concern that in the case
of its membership Turkey could have become the formidable competitor in
attracting European Union investment and benefits that would have reduced
Greece's benefits in both economic and political areas. In other words,
Greece opposed full integration of Turkey into the modem European system
because of the fear that civilized, modernized, and economically advanced
Turkey would be closer to Europe and compete for with Greece in the European
Union. Furthermore, Volkan and Itzkowitz correctly pays attention to the
point that if Turkey improved its economy, there would be nothing left
to restrict Turkey to be a regional hegemon. (12) To sum up, one more implication of Greek 'Self' Turkish
'Other' Problematique and vice versa plays a significant role at the core
of current sources of antagonism between Greece and Turkey. In other words,
the construction of image identities used to provide theoretical grounding
for political justification of state's foreign policies like within earlier
periods. For contemporary time European Union membership provides the
basis for Greek 'Self' and Turkish 'Other problematique. For instance,
while Greek governments frequently emphasized the 'non-European and Islamic
character of Turkey' in order to prevent Turkey's European Union membership,
(13) Christian and Western 'identity' of the that opposes Turkey's European
Union membership. In both cases the earlier construction of Self-Other
image identities satisfies the continuous rationalization for the each
party actions. Preconditions For Better Relationships Then, since the better relationship is beneficiary for
the both states what are the some preconditions for better relationships?
This paper contention is to highlight upon certain important points that
could contribute to the synthesis in which assumptions for better Turkish-Greek
relationship could derive from. As frequently emphasized profound construction of image
identities impede the way for better relationships. Hence, initially,
the denouncement of pre-constructed identities for the new construction
is mandatory. In other words, both Turkey and Greece should modify their
beliefs and political actions even this would contradict with their earlier
actions and political traditions. In order to make this project possible,
initially, Greeks shall secure themselves from the Turkish 'obsession'
as militarily powerful belligerent side. Ottoman Empire could be perceived
as expansionist like all other Great Empires who had controlled the Europe,
Mediterranean, and the Middle East. This was quite natural simply because
ex-Empires were originally organized for conquest, whose economies were
depended on agriculture, land, manpower (including military purposes)
and all kind of possessions gathered from the acquired lands. Moreover,
although Turks are the main heirs of the Ottoman Empire, they are not
the unique one since the Ottoman Empire was a cosmopolitan Empire including
many ethnic groups. Thus, Turks cannot be blamed alone for all the actions
that had done against Greeks in the past. Furthermore, as in the case
of most important cause of antagonism between two nations, Turkish intervention
in Cyprus, was a phenomenon that is open for all kind of interpretations
with variety of justifications that cannot be count as empirical evidence
for Turkish aggressiveness. Therefore, pre-occupied mind that Turks has
tradition of expansionist emotions shall abolish for the prospect of better
Turkish-Greek relationships. It was equally clear that modern Turkish
Republic that founded in 1923 has secularist and democratic tradition
as a legacy of its founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk who has a vision of 'peace
at home, peace in the world'. Hence, although most of Turkey's territory
geographically felt to the Asia and only partially to the Europe, its
comparatively democratic, secular political structure and vision of European
Union membership could help to the falsification of the constructed Orientalist-traditionalist
image of Turkey. Another suggestion has been put forward in this paper
is the mutual 'recognition' of power and influence of both Greece and
Turkey. For instance, Greece should respect Turkish influence in Central
Asian Republics along with its special role between the East and the West.
That is quite natural if one considers Turkey's geo-political location,
cultural, religious, and historical bonds with the region. Likewise, Turkey
should respect to the role of Greece in the Balkans as the most prosperous
Orthodox nation. With exception of rich Western countries, both states
are the most prosperous nation-states of their geographical area where
Turkish and Greek origin minorities are living. Thus it is quite normal
that both states defined their status as 'protectorate' of the minorities
living in other regional countries. In other words, both states and nations
have distinctive history, culture, and aspirations that do not necessarily
form a clash of interest but a common point for collaboration for mutual
interests. To epitomize, correspondence in character of state formations
in terms of objective oriented establishments could form a ground for
mutual understanding, and norms for better relationships. Complementary to this view the denouncement of using
external politics for domestic popularity is another important point.
This means that neither Greece nor Turkey should use the Turkish-Greek
hostility as an election campaign. Furthermore, political obsessions about
chronological issues shall be abandoned. For instance, would the extension
of territorial sea and the airspace in the Aegean Sea give any particular
advantage to the Greece in terms of economic and political beneficiaries?
Similarly, what would be Turkey's lost from the direct negotiations with
Greece on its 'sensitive' concerns such as Cyprus and Aegean Sea? In order
to meet in common ground, each party initially shall discredit the policy
that 'their' interpretation of politics and comments are absolutely correct.
In the same vein, a final note should reserve for the
interpretation of the history and the impact of those historically created
values on Greek 'Self' and Turkish 'Other' image identities. According
to Collingwood, there is a direct connection between the past and the
present. (15) Collingwood suggests that past 'thoughts' recovered in the
present and thought has 'repeatability' character in its very nature.
(16) Therefore, thought is outside of the time concept and it is more
than a simple event or situation that had happened once upon a time. As
the arrival point of these arguments Collingwood theorizes that 'thoughts'
shaped the consciousness of the individuals and connected them into a
greater entity. In other words, as Collingwood wrote in his autobiography,
"Thought defines all individuals and binds them together into a larger,
non-temporal network... each act of thought in the past was already a
repetition of something which persists outside of all its concrete manifestations".
(17) Therefore, as Collingwood has emphasized it is at the
hands of the politicians, historians, and/or other influential authorities
to recover or use that past thoughts in order to reach their ends. Departing
from this statement, unfortunately, as highlighted by Volkan and Itzkowitz,
"the technical, legal and political aspects of Turkish-Greek problems
have been long forgotten, giving way to a mythical, mystical confrontation
laden with fear, animosity, and 'psychological' preoccupation." (18)
Leo Strauss explained this as while historical events transmitted to later
generations there is no certainty whether the transformation was affected
consciously and with foil clarity. (19) Such an outcome was inevitable
considering the close relationship between the power and knowledge. As
Foucault asserts, the knowledge is produced by single process that is
neither objective nor natural. (20) In other words, knowledge is never
unconditioned and the subject of knowledge is situated in and conditioned
by a political and historical context and constrained to function with
particular concepts and categories of knowledge. In other words, through
the sovereignty of independent Greek state certain epistemological dispositions
constructed knowledge that serves to further distinguish Turkish 'Other'
identity. Predictable result of these practices was the equation of difference
or otherness with threat or danger although this was not ingredient to
the identity grounded in a bounded territorial state. Thus, as Strauss points out that one must distinguish
between the inherited knowledge that is the philosophic or scientific
knowledge that taken over from former generations and independently acquired
knowledge that is the philosophic or scientific knowledge that acquired
through unbiased intercourse. (21) Such distinction is essential because
during the time space, same cognitive status given to the inherited knowledge
and independently acquired knowledge. Thus the philosophic or scientific
knowledge that acquired through unbiased intercourse should be privileged
for the sake of better Turkish-Greek relations. Finally, the paper assumes that there are much more
similarities between nationhood of two states that could be defined as
the synthesis of Eastern and Western concept of nationhood. For instance,
Hassner stated that "Eastern concept of nationhood" is an ethnic
one that is based on common culture defined in terms of race, language,
tradition or religion, while "Western concept nationhood" is
relied on state, territory citizenship, and political principles. (22)
Although Greece widely criticizes Turkey to be oriental society, the conditions
that defined by Pierre Hassner also exists in Greek society. The influence
of religion on society and the similar foreign policy objectives further
illustrates the point that in fact the images that Greece created for
Turkish 'Other' is also rooted in Greek politics. For instance Coufoudakis,
stated that Greece needs to be involved in the Balkans without leaving
an open door for the involvement of Turkey while accusing Turkey to have
aspirations of becoming regional hegemon and in the Balkans. (23) Likewise,
although Turkey has been criticized as being the guard for American interests,
Mitsotakis as the rightist politician does not hesitate to offer that
Greece is suitable for the same task. (24) Moreover, while Turkey has
been criticized to be servant of United States, Greeks ignore the fact
that it was the United States economic and political assistance and Greek-Americans
that shaped the whole Greek economy of the 1967-1974 period. Similarly,
although population of Turkey regarded as serious problem on European
Union membership, many Greek politicians highlighted the point that Turkish
population constitutes an 'element of power' and Greece has significant
comparative disadvantage in this respect. Concluding Comments Nevertheless with the fundamental changes in the world
politics in the post-Cold War era the door opened for the new relationships
that required the re-construction of existent and prevailing identity
problematique. In this new construction of 'Other's image, identity should
suit well with the policy of both states. Thus both states should accept
and respect the power and influence of each other in order to allow the
co-operation for mutual benefits. In simplistic terms, Greece shall re-construct
Turkish 'traditionaist-orientalist' perception and construct 'new' Turkish
identity image that is European, modern and not belligerent along with
accepting Turkey's place in Europe. As a last word, it should be noted that changing perception of Greece and de-construction of Turkish "Other' will not be meaningful if Turkey is not determined to advance its vision in political, scientific, and economic terms and re-build structural adjustments on the way for European Union membership. Furthermore, the development of common norms for mutual understanding should not be left to the hands of the politicians and the diplomats. Civil societies and non-governmental organizations of both nations should contribute to this process for the breaking of prevailing constructions based on Greek 'Self' Turkish 'Other' and vice versa relationship. *Huseyin ISIKSAL is lecturer in the department of International Relations at Fatih University. BIBLIOGRAPHY ENDNOTES |
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H�seyin I��ksal An Analysis of the Turkish-Greek Relations |