Hürriyet Daily News published an article by Mustafa Akyol devoted to the nationalist ideology in the present day Turkey.
"Since the beginning of this year, Turkish politics has been in a very interesting state of mind. The “peace process” with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a terrorist organization by all Turkish definitions, is creating both hopes and fears. Some feel happy that Turkey will finally find peace of mind after a three-decade-long, low-intensity civil war. They welcome the process and support the AKP government moving forward. But others fear that their beloved country is heading toward collapse at the hands of a treacherous government," the article begins.
"The second view is shared by most supporters of the two big opposition parties: the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). The MHP is more furious, but the CHP is not too different from it on fundamental issues. They both claim that the government “should not have talked with the terrorists,” and condemn the current peace process as a dishonorable concession. Since their total vote makes up some 40 percent of society (the CHP around 25 percent, the MHP around 15 percent), their stances are not unimportant," Akyol writes.
"But if this line is “Turkish nationalism,” then what is the AKP ideology? It is totally non-nationalist?" the author asks. "I don’t think so," he writes. "In fact, when you listen to Erdoğan, he too comes across as a nationalist leader, constantly emphasizing “our nation,” its values and its place in the world. But he carefully avoids calling it “Turkish nation,” leaving room for non-Turkish identities in Turkey, especially the Kurds."
"So, I think we are heading toward tension between “Turkish nationalists” and “Turkey nationalists,” the latter envisioning a more pluralist country. Yet my formula is still based on the least-definition-is-the-best-definition formula: Let us just speak of “the nation,” and let everybody define it according to his imagination," Akyol concludes.
