Ottoman internationalism

Abstract

The literature on internationalism took the Ottoman Empire’s demise for granted and construed it as a defunct empire with territories to be apportioned. Starting the history of internationalism around the end of the First World War, when the Ottomans’ defeat became clear, gave rise to the misleading conclusion that the Ottomans only got involved in internationalism to prevent their territory from an impending partition, or at least, to carve a Turkish homeland out of a falling empire. This article argues that tracing the history of internationalism in the Ottoman context should not start at the end of the First World War when the Ottomans’ defeat became clear, but at an earlier period when the Ottomans actively participated in the creation of their own brand of internationalism. In this period, internationalism was not a survival tactic to block the partition of the Turkish homeland, but an assertive policy to create an international system that would guarantee Ottoman independence and territorial integrity.