How the Lausanne Treaty helped retain Turkey's imperial character

Excluded communities

The consequences of the Treaty of Lausanne further excluded various communities and peoples from the regional landscape, political life, and power balance in the area.

Among the marginalised groups were the Kurds, Armenians, Assyrians, Eastern Greeks, Circassians, Laz, and Chechens.

Although the methods of exclusion varied, the end result was the same: these distinct peoples were removed from the mainstream course of history and their prospects for the future were limited.

Genocide, denial and scattered peoples

The Kurds faced a complete denial of their existence. The Armenian genocide, which had occurred several years prior, was largely ignored, leading to a drastic reduction in their numbers and territorial presence to less than a tenth of what they once had.

The Assyrians, Chaldeans, and Laz were reduced to scattered religious sects and minorities dispersed across various locations. The Eastern Greeks lost their original homeland geography and were threatened with eradication. As for the Circassians and Chechens, they were reduced to mere linguistic and social formations, losing their previous distinct identities.

Turning point

Lausanne marked a significant turning point in the aftermath of World War I, particularly concerning the fate of the Ottoman Empire.

Prior to and during the war, the Allied powers believed that the Ottoman Empire's recovery could only be achieved by dismantling its imperial structure and granting self-determination rights to its diverse local populations based on their respective ethnic and cultural identities.

The Treaty of Sevres, which concluded the war in 1919, reflected this approach. It promised stability and independent states within well-defined borders to various ethnic groups, including the Arabs, Armenians, Kurds, and Eastern Greeks, with the backing of the international community.

Other groups like the Assyrians/Chaldeans, Circassians, and Chechens were expected to have special positions within the states they joined.

The rise of Atatürk and communism

Two significant factors emerged as obstacles that altered the course of events. Firstly, the Turkish War of Independence between 1919 and 1923, led by Atatürk and the Turkish elite, enabled the political and military reconstruction of the Turkish identity.

This allowed them to challenge international agreements and expand Turkey's influence beyond the limitations set by previous treaties.

Secondly, the rise of communism after the success of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia prompted central European countries to engage with Turkey and Atatürk. They sought to prevent the spread of communism, even if it meant disregarding the Treaty of Sevres.

A formidable geopolitical player

Ultimately, the acceptance of the Treaty of Lausanne solidified modern Turkey's rise into a formidable geopolitical player. It solidified its national identity and extended its influence over several countries in the region, including Syria, Iraq, and Iran, among others.

The West — by accepting and acknowledging Turkey as a regional political force that transcended its geographical boundaries — removed Turkey from its wider consideration of international balances.

This gave Turkey the capacity to exert its model, vision, and perspective on minority issues throughout the region. As a result, the exclusion of various peoples and groups from the political and geographical sphere was not limited solely to Turkey but encompassed the entire region.

There is evidence in numerous documents and events that demonstrate how Turkey formulated its policies and strategies toward regional states based on their compliance with its own rules.

Any states or events that deviated from these rules faced clear aggression from Turkey, as seen in the events that unfolded in Syria, Iraq, and Libya over the past decade.

Distinct historical precedent

Lausanne established a distinct historical precedent in the region. It was to be different from what had occurred in Europe and much of the world, in the new era that followed the times of traditional empires.

In other parts of the world, there was a compromise between major central nations and their smaller, marginalised counterparts. Young states were established to accommodate smaller communities, and larger states constitutionally recognised and hosted local regions to protect the rights of communities that did not have separate states of their own.

However, the situation in the region unfolded quite differently, and Lausanne had a significant impact. Turkey retained its imperial character, albeit with diminished strength and size.

But it remained one of an empire. It failed to acknowledge the diverse peoples and communities within its borders. It did not recognise its recent history – including the genocide perpetrated against an entire people – and the huge human cost of the geographical and demographic alterations imposed on other regions and peoples.

Additionally, Turkey denied diversity and partnership, viewing itself as an extension of its imperial past in every aspect. It even sought to impose this model on its surroundings, making it a prerequisite for maintaining positive relations with neighbouring states.

According to Turkey's initial model, Lausanne established the ultimate framework for regional relations, focusing on relationships and interactions between states while disregarding civil, national, and non-centralised regional communities within the region.

Consequently, this fateful treaty not only led to the historical defeat of several peoples and nations but also resulted in a comprehensive collapse for the other nations and communities in the area.

It created a space that lacked diversity, composition, and balance, increasingly leaning towards absolute and closed unifying values and concepts.