Colonization, or in other words colonialism, is the process by which a state seizes and dominates territory outside its borders, usually for economic, social and political reasons, and in this process, the state that dominates the colonized territories imposes its own culture, political structure or religion on this region over time. Thus, decolonization is the process by which a state ends its control over the people and institutions of another country, and is a political and cultural process that focuses mainly on popular movements and ideas in colonies demanding the end of colonialism and independence. Decolonization is associated with the disintegration of colonial empires, especially those established after World War I, and the right of nations to self-determination is defined by the United Nations as the essence of decolonization.
The United Nations has issued several declarations on the decolonization process. One of them is the "Declaration on the Right to Development", proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly on December 4, 1986. This declaration emphasizes that peoples have the right to freely determine their own political status and to achieve economic, social and cultural development and addresses issues such as decolonization, non-discrimination, respect for and provision of human rights and fundamental freedoms.
The first steps of the United Nations on decolonization were taken in the early years of the organization's establishment in 1945. The United Nations defined the right of nations to self-determination as the essence of decolonization and decided that the colonizing nation did not have the right to cancel the process, but could have a say in the direction of the process. Therefore, it was used to dismantle the colonial empires established after World War I. These processes constituted an important turning point in international relations and paved the way for many countries to gain independence. Decolonization is a process that still continues today and is an important part of international politics.
Colonialism can be defined as the process by which historically powerful states take control of other communities economically, socially and culturally. This process is often characterized by colonial powers appropriating resources, labour and markets and oppressing the socio-cultural and religious values of the people under their colonies. Although the terms colonialism and imperialism are sometimes used interchangeably, imperialism refers to a broader sphere of control and influence and encompasses dominance in both tangible and intangible spheres.
Colonialism has left deep traces in world history and affected the structure of many societies. In the modern world, the legacy of colonialism is still felt in language, culture, political structures and economic relations. Understanding the impact of colonialism and imperialism on the modern world is important to grasp the events of the past and the global dynamics of today. The United Nations monitors colonized or non-self-governing territories around the world. The situation of these territories is an important issue in international politics and sometimes controversial. The United Nations supports the right of the peoples of these regions to determine their own future and works towards this end. However, final decisions on the future of these regions are often shaped by complex political and diplomatic processes.
It is very sad, but even in the 21st century, there are still colonies and colonizers. This situation actually shows us that the United Nations Organization only imposes sanctions on certain countries for decolonization and remains at the level of arbitrariness for the permanent members of the UN and some privileged states that pursue policies close to them. It is not new and surprising that the UN favors powerful states when it should be defending the rights of all member states. There have been many examples of this throughout the history of the UN. The President of the Republic of Turkey, Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, declared to the world at a UN gathering that "The world is bigger than five...". Even today, Israel is seriously favored. Through a brief internet search, I have tried to list below the colonized territories and the states that control them;
The situation of France
As can be seen from the table above, France has the largest numerical majority in terms of the colonies it controls among the colonial states. In addition to these, there are also states in Africa that France has made economically dependent on itself, although they appear to be politically independent. The national revenues of these states flow firstly to the French Central Bank, and after France collects its share from there, these resources are returned to the original owner state through France as compulsory investment (or to the governments supporting the French colonization!), and of course French companies have the lion's share in this return. This cycle shows that these states have no independence, they are completely dependent on France, in other words, they are secret colonies.
Apart from the politically fully dependent colonies or economically dependent semi-colonies, there are also some countries that France used to exploit but which are still culturally colonized despite their political and economic liberation. These states can be listed as follows; Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Comoros, Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Ivory Coast, Algeria, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, Mali, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Togo, Tunisia.
Of course, as these countries woke up and realized their dependence on France, they began to reject this and raised the flag of rebellion against France in order to achieve their full independence. North African countries such as Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, etc. have realized this a long time ago, and this awakening has taken shape in the rest of the states and many of them have now reconsidered their relations with France and many of them have, so to speak, expelled France from their countries. Recently, the revolt against France in Africa has increased significantly and has begun to bear fruit. Of course, France is not happy with this situation, because according to a study, France earns 500 billion dollars a year directly or indirectly from its colonies. France has been experiencing serious political frictions with some countries, which it holds responsible for the declining colonial revenues. Turkey is among these countries. In particular, African geopolitics has recently tended to shift towards the Turkey-Russia-China axis, with France at the center.
On the other hand, Turkey-France relations have historical accounts and serious problems. At this stage, briefly summarizing the historical background of Turkish-French relations will be useful for understanding the issue.
Historical background of Turkish-French relations
The first Turkish-French encounters occurred both as a result of the Turks' migration from Central Asia to Anatolia with the migration of tribes and as a result of France's orientation towards the east with the first crusades. Around the 10th century, there were more limited and indirect interactions between the Seljuk Turks and the Ottoman state and the House of Capet, rather than direct and intensive diplomatic contacts.
After the Ottomans conquered the Byzantine Empire and took Constantinople in 1453, they felt the need to establish more political and trade relations with Western Europe. Until the 16th century, these interactions took various forms, and eventually the level was significantly improved with the Franco-Ottoman alliance.
François I of the House of Valois, while fighting against the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (Charlemagne), established diplomatic contact with the Ottoman Emperor Suleiman the Magnificent and asked for help from the Ottoman Empire, the superpower of the time. The alliance and friendship between the Ottoman Empire and France began with this event. The treaty of commerce and friendship signed between the Ottoman Empire and France in 1536 granted wide privileges to French merchants in Ottoman lands. This treaty formed the basis of commercial and diplomatic relations between the two countries. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Ottoman-French relations continued largely through trade and diplomacy. France became one of the Ottoman Empire's most important links with the West.
This situation suddenly declined with Napoleon Bonaparte's France in the early 19th century. Napoleon Bonaparte's attacks on Ottoman lands during his Egyptian campaign (1798-1801) strained relations between the two countries. In the ensuing war, the Ottomans succeeded in driving Napoleon out of Egypt, but this caused a major wound in relations. Immediately afterwards, the French invasion of Algeria in 1830 brought relations between the two countries to a new level of tension. Between 1853 and 1856, the Ottoman Empire allied with France and Britain in the Crimean War against Russia. This war led to a renewed strengthening of relations between the Ottoman Empire and France.
During World War I, the Ottoman Empire and France were on opposing fronts, which led to the division of Ottoman territories between Britain and France after the Ottoman Empire lost the war, and ultimately to the drawing of new borders in the Middle East after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. During the 1st World War and the Turkish War of Independence that immediately followed, Turkey and France confronted and fought on many fronts. The victory in the War of Independence and the international recognition of the newly established Turkish Republic and the regulation of Ottoman debts led to cooperation with France. With the establishment of the Republic of Turkey, relations with France were reshaped. Diplomatic and commercial ties between the two countries were strengthened. Turkey adopted the French legal system and education model in the process of westernization.
During World War II, Turkey tried to remain neutral throughout the war. Turkey became a member of NATO in 1952 and increased its military and strategic cooperation with France. Turkey and France worked together as NATO allies. Although there were occasional tensions in relations between the two countries during this period, cooperation generally continued.
In the 21st century, as Turkey healed its wounds from the past and began to regain power and to speak out against imperialism, Turkish-French relations entered a new trend and France developed new policies against this as a result of the shift of power from the French axis to the Turkish axis as mentioned above. With this, relations between the two countries became tense and evolved into a different political structure.
Let us review these factors that have contributed to the tensions in France-Turkey relations:
Geopolitical Factors:
Use of Natural Resources:
The irrepressible rise of Turkey in the Central Asian and Caucasian countries has attracted the attention of France. Turkey is forming the Turan Region Political, Economic and Military Cooperation Organization with the countries of the region, which are also Turkic descendants. It is known that this region is rich in oil, natural gas and valuable mineral resources. The fact that Turkey is trying to strengthen its steps to prevent this trend causes Turkey's discontent.
Energy Resources in the Eastern Mediterranean: The discovery of natural gas and oil deposits in the Eastern Mediterranean has caused a conflict of interest between France and Turkey. France, in cooperation with Greece and the Republic of Cyprus, claims the right to explore and exploit the energy resources in the Eastern Mediterranean, while Turkey considers these activities as a violation of its continental shelf rights.
Water Resources and Hydroelectric Potential: France has been trying to provoke countries such as Iraq and Syria over the management of water resources in the region, especially due to its concerns about Turkey's dams and hydroelectric power plants built on major rivers such as the Euphrates and Tigris to eliminate its dependence on foreign energy.
Natural Resources in Africa: France's colonial past and present influence in Sub-Saharan Africa has fueled a rivalry between Turkey and France over natural resources in Africa. In particular, oil, natural gas, mineral, agricultural and especially uranium resources in Sub-Saharan Africa affect French and Turkish interests in the region.
Oil and Gas Resources in the Middle East: The rich oil and gas resources in the Middle East have already caused conflicts of interest between France and Turkey for more than a century. In particular, the control of energy resources in countries such as Syria and Iraq has become the focal point of political and military struggles in the region.
Geopolitical Rivalry: France and Turkey both seek to be influential in strategic regions such as the Middle East, North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. In particular, France's declining influence in Sub-Saharan Africa and Turkey's growing influence in the region have increased the rivalry between the two countries. France's military presence in Sub-Saharan Africa and Turkey's economic and humanitarian aid projects deepen the conflict of interests in the region day by day.
Regional Balance of Power: France and Turkey seek to influence the balance of power in strategic regions such as the Middle East and the Mediterranean. Turkey's growing influence and the limitation of France's traditional influence in the region have increased rivalry and fueled tensions between the two countries. Turkey has long dealt with PKK terrorism and suffered serious economic losses in this war, and considers France among the main PKK-supporting countries.
Historical and Cultural Heritage: Historical and cultural factors also play a role in relations between France and Turkey. In particular, the traces of relations during the Ottoman Empire can still cause ongoing disagreements on some issues. France's Anti-Ottoman and Anti-Turkish Propaganda: During the Ottoman period, the French conducted propaganda campaigns against the Ottoman Empire and tried to portray the Turks as backward from the civilization of the Western powers. Such propaganda still causes some negative perceptions in Turkey.
Bilateral Disputes:
Armenian Genocide Debates: While Turkey rejects the allegations that characterize the 1915 events as "genocide", some countries, such as France, officially recognize the genocide. This situation creates tension between the two countries from time to time. France has passed laws criminalizing those who deny the Armenian Genocide, causing diplomatic crises with Turkey.
Cyprus issue: France supports the Republic of Cyprus and criticizes the Turkish presence in the northern part of the island. Turkey, on the other hand, recognizes the Turkish Republic of Cyprus and strives to protect the integrity of the island of Cyprus. This has been a constant point of contention between the two countries.
Turkey's EU Membership: France has been one of the most vocal opponents of Turkey's EU membership. France's criticism of Turkey's EU membership has occasionally caused tension between the two countries and has been criticized by Turkey as hypocrisy and double standards. Indeed, despite applying years after Turkey, countries that are politically and economically far behind Turkey have been approved for membership.
Aegean Sea Disputes: Turkey and Greece have long-standing disputes over sovereign rights, continental shelf and sovereignty in the Aegean Sea. Disagreements over the continental shelf and the sharing of natural resources often create tensions between the two countries. In particular, the recent military escalation in the Aegean has negatively affected Turkey's relations with France and other European countries, and has been exacerbated by France's arms aid to Greece.
The Eastern Mediterranean Problem: The dispute between Turkey and Greece over maritime jurisdiction has been further complicated in recent years by the discovery of energy resources and submarine natural resources in the Eastern Mediterranean. Turkey's drilling activities in the Eastern Mediterranean have been condemned by Greece and Greek Cyprus, causing tension in the international community. Turkey's "Blue Homeland" concept arising from international maritime law has been unlawfully criticized by France.
The Problem of the Islands Another dispute between Turkey and Greece is the sovereignty of the islands in the Aegean Sea. While Greece claims that the islands are effective in determining the continental shelf, Turkey does not accept this situation and while questioning the effect of the islands on the continental shelf, it brings the law of the sea conventions to the forefront and proves its justification with case studies. France, on the other hand, backs Greece, which does not accept these arguments based on the law. This issue is an important factor that increases the tension between the two countries.
Declining French Influence in Africa: France has historically had an effective colonial presence in Africa. However, in recent years, African countries have completed their independence processes and struggled for independence against French influence. With the decline of France's influence in Africa, Turkey's growing influence in Africa has increased the rivalry between the two countries. In particular, conflicts of interest in Libya and Sub-Saharan Africa affect France-Turkey relations.
Situation in Syria: While Turkey supports opposition groups and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Syria, France has supported opposition groups against the Assad regime. Turkey's operations against Kurdish groups in Syria have also been criticized by France. Nevertheless, these Kurdish groups infiltrated from Syria into Turkey and carried out terrorist acts. This situation grants Turkey the right to intervene based on the principle of reciprocity in accordance with international law.
Libya Crisis: France and Turkey have supported different sides and clashed in Libya. While Turkey supported the legitimate government officially recognized by the UN and elected by the people, France supported the Libyan National Army led by General Khalifa Haftar and criticized Turkey's military presence in Libya.
Algerian War of Independence and Turkey's Attitude: The Algerian War of Independence stands out as an important struggle against France's colonial policies. Turkey supported Algeria's struggle for independence and criticized France's colonialist policies in Algeria. This situation was not welcomed by France.
The occupied territories of Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh: Turkey has unconditionally supported the brotherly state of Azerbaijan in its war for the liberation of its territories occupied since 1994 with the rhetoric of "one lineage, two homelands", and has announced its strong political support to the whole world in addition to military technologies and logistical support. France has constantly criticized this situation and has taken part in the opposing front by supporting Armenia.
As can be seen, Turkish-French relations are seriously complex and antagonism, so to speak, is inevitable. With the title we will introduce below, Turkey has now become a foreign agent in the French perspective.
New Caledonia Independence Movements
An interesting report was broadcasted in a French radio station about the rebellion against France in New Caledonia.
According to this report, the rebellion in Caledonia was fueled by the Intelligence Units of Turkey and Azerbaijan. That was the interpretation of the French press.
Let's start by summarizing what is happening in Caledonia. New Caledonia is an island in the South Pacific where France maintains its colonial presence. Recently, a rebellion broke out here and France sent its troops here to put down the rebellion. French troops are stationed at the ports and the airport. They declared a state of emergency in the region. The clashes have been going on for days and there are casualties. It is known that there are hundreds of wounded. This island has been French territory since the 1800s. In the post-colonial period, they made serious efforts to stay here. But a considerable number of the people of the region no longer want France here. In 1998, an agreement was signed between France and the new Colonia and Paris had to grant the region more political autonomy. According to this, the electoral roll was to be limited to the residents at the time. So the voter lists have not been updated in this region since 1998. They didn't want the French, who were constantly coming and settling in the region, to have a say in the administration. That's why they signed this agreement. Because the voter lists are not updated, new settlers cannot vote. And in the intervening 26 years, more than forty thousand French people have settled on the island. This is a very serious number, because the population of the island is already three hundred thousand. That's why if the French settlers vote, pro-French policies will be supported, and if that happens, the groups that are trying for independence will lose all hope. Because there have been three independence referendums in the region since the 1998 agreement. The first two were won by the pro-French side by a very small margin. Things could have changed in the last referendum. This referendum was held in December 2021. Pro-independence parties asked for the referendum to be postponed due to the pandemic. Because they could not work. But their request for postponement was not accepted and they boycotted the referendum. As a result, the referendum did not result in a decision for independence again. So they have hope, but France's new decision completely ends this hope. Because according to the decision, the French who have lived in the region for ten years will now have the right to vote. Of course, if tens of thousands of French who settled on the island gain the right to vote, there is no longer any possibility for them to gain independence through a referendum. So French colonialism will continue in the region forever.
So how was this issue connected with the intelligence services of Turkey and Azerbaijan? For this, let's go back to the news story and the meeting mentioned at the beginning. What happened in this meeting?
Azerbaijan invited separatists from the French overseas territories of Martinique, French Guiana, New Caledonia and French Polynesia to Baku for a conference in July 2023. At the meeting, the "Baku Initiative Group" was created, whose aim is defined as supporting "French liberation and anti-colonial movements". This week, the group issued a statement condemning the French Parliament's proposed amendment to the Constitution of New Caledonia that would allow foreigners who settled in the territory at least 10 years ago to vote in elections. The meeting is called Decolonization, the awakening of the Renaissance. When we say decolonization, the content of the meeting already emerges. Important figures gave important speeches at this conference. The importance of ending decolonization was emphasized at every opportunity and at the end of the event the participants wrote a letter to the President of France, referring to the United Nations General Assembly resolutions on decolonization. More than sixty years have passed since these resolutions and you are still continuing colonization. It was mentioned that the people in these regions did not want France. On the return of the meeting, riots broke out in New Caledonia.
The reasons justifying this for Turkey and Azerbaijan have been mentioned above. But recently, there is a more important reason. This is France's activities supporting terrorism in the Zangezur region. Because in recent months, especially since the anti-terrorist operation carried out by Azerbaijan, France has started to accumulate terrorists in this region and started to support terrorist activities in the region in every sense. The biggest need of terrorist groups operating in the Zangezur region is of course money. This funding is supplied to them by the Armenian lobby residing in France. Not only does France fail to curb these activities, but it also provides them with substantial support. The salaries of all these terrorists who are currently receiving training in camps in the Zangezur region come from Europe. Especially from France. It is already impossible for Armenia to pay these salaries due to the economic difficulties it is going through. It is not difficult to understand that France is the source of this money. There is also the support they give to Armenia in diplomacy, which is much more important than the financial support they give to terrorist organizations. In other words, Turkey and Azerbaijan had to teach France a lesson and it seems that this lesson was given through New Caledonia.
