The decision on Santa Sofia, a sign of difficulty for Erdogan

The decision by Turkish President Erdogan on the Santa Sofia building, although sanctioned by the country’s constitutional bodies, has all the appearance of a means of solving internal problems, rather than preferring foreign policy and inter-confessional dialogue. Meanwhile, the signal is solely in favor of the most extreme part of Turkish radicalism and outlines the direction that Erdogan intends to maintain, both in domestic and foreign policy. The question is fundamental if framed in the real position of Turkey in the western field, both from the military point of view, with reference to the conflictual relationship with the Atlantic Alliance first of all, but also from the political point of view in general, with respect to the interests Westerners. Ankara has suffered the refusal of the European Union to be admitted as a member, but the motivation appears to be increasingly justified and fair by Brussels; Turkey, it should be remembered, was not admitted for the lack of essential requirements regarding respect for rights, but, while complaining about the iniquity of this decision, it did not approach European standards. On the contrary, he began a process of gradual Islamization of political life, which further compressed civil rights and placed the centrality of power on the person of the President. A substantially corrupt country, which suffers from an important economic crisis (which came after a period of development) and where power uses a classic scheme when internal affairs go wrong: to divert public opinion with alternative and foreign policy issues. It is not for nothing that Erdogan focused on fighting the Kurds, also supporting radical Islamic militias, who fought with the Islamic State and aggravating the relationship with the United States, most recently the Libyan adventure placed Turkey in open contrast with the Union European. The question of Saint Sophia seems to fit into this framework and this strategy, however the contrast, at least directly, is not with one or more nations, but with religious authorities that have relevance and importance which should not be underestimated. The open hostility of the Orthodox can have repercussions on relations that are not exactly cordial with Russia, was supplemented by the declaration of Pope Francis, who expressed personal pain. The Vatican had opted for a conduct inspired by caution, pending the pronouncement of the Turkish Constitutional Court and for this reason it had been made the subject of heavy criticism precisely by the Orthodox churches. The Pope’s action was probably postponed until the end to preserve dialogue with Erdogan on issues related to the reception of migrants, the management of terrorism, the status of Jerusalem, conflicts in the Middle East and even inter-religious dialogue, an instrument considered fundamental for contacts between peoples. The contact between the Vatican and Turkey has so far survived even the criticisms of the Armenian genocide that the Pope has expressed several times, however the question of Saint Sophia affects not only Catholicism but all members of the Christian religion and the consequences could be negative in the continuation of the same relations between Christianity and Islam, which by far outweigh the contacts between Erdogan and Pope Francis. It is not for nothing that the transformation into a Hagia Sophia mosque is viewed with concern by even the most moderate Muslims, who live in Europe. The interreligious factor should be the one of greatest concern for Erdogan, given that officially there has been no criticism from the USA, Russia (a factor to be carefully evaluated for the importance of the Orthodox community in the country and in support of Putin) and the Union European. The feeling is that this was dictated by the desire not to further damage the relationship with Turkey, despite everything still considered fundamental in the regional geopolitical balances. However, Hagia Sophia’s move seems to be Erdogan’s latest found to be able to use religion as a tool for political propaganda against a public opinion that no longer seems to support his neo-Ottoman policy, due to public spending. increasingly large, especially in military spending, but which does not bring significant improvements in the economic field to the Turkish population. If the support of the economy is lacking, also due to a steadily rising inflation, it may be possible that the sectors unhappy with the growing poverty become welded with that part of society that does not politically share the direction taken by the Turkish president, and on the contrary, it openly challenges it, opening a state of political crisis that is difficult to manage again with just repression.