AKP pushes its own brand of Turkish neonationalism
Turkish neonationalism, traditionally a product of authoritarian state power, is being pushed by proponents of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and nurtured by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
About a decade ago, the ideology of neonationalism emerged in Turkey, espousing more or less the following view: Imperialism has mounted a fresh offensive to enslave the peoples of the Middle East. The biggest stumbling block on its march is the fully independent Republic of Turkey, the legacy of the Great Leader Ataturk and a glimmer of hope for the oppressed peoples of the world. The “moderate Islam project” is the most efficient tool being used by imperialism to destroy the Turkish republic from within.
The so-called moderate Islam project vilified in this narrative was none other than the Justice and Development Party (AKP). The neonationalists saw the AKP not as a “Turkish” reality speaking for the country’s conservative masses and responding to popular demands, but as a project designed in Washington. Accordingly, the project's sly objective was to subdue the good old fully independent republic to the “global system.” Who else would have been as treacherous as those religious reactionaries to sell out Cyprus!
