„It is crucial to maintain a humanitarian perspective above all“ – Interview with Visiting Professor Gencer Özcan

Professor Özcan, could you briefly introduce yourself and your academic background? What led you to specialise in Middle Eastern politics and Turkish foreign policy?

I graduated from Ankara University’s Faculty of Political Sciences and received my PhD from Boğaziçi University. After I worked at Marmara and Yıldız Technical universities, I joined the Department of International Relations of Istanbul Bilgi University in 2009 as a faculty member. My research interests are political history, Turkey’s foreign and security policy-making process, the military’s role in the making of Turkey’s foreign policy decisions, Turkey’s policy towards the Middle East, and Turkish-Israeli relations.

 When you become interested in any aspect of Turkey's politics, you inevitably have to engage with Middle Eastern politics as well. When I began my academic career, the entire region was grappling with the aftereffects of the Iranian Revolution. Following the Iran-Iraq War, the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, the Gulf War – all significant regional events occurred in Turkey's immediate surroundings, profoundly affecting its politics and economy. Therefore, for the students of Turkey’s politics, it has always been imperative to closely examine what is happening in the Middle East.

You were teaching the course Current Issues in the Middle East at Viadrina. What were the main learning goals you aim to achieve with your students?

This course has been on my teaching list for the past 20 years. At Istanbul Bilgi University, the courses on the Middle East attract a diverse group of international students. Students from Middle Eastern countries, along with Erasmus exchangees, create a diversified classroom environment that provides extra motivation for the instructor. The more I teach, the more I learn. When it comes to learning outcomes of the course, the main goal is to help students historicize and contextualize the current developments in the region.

You course covers a wide spectrum of regional developments, from the Arab Uprisings to the rise of the Islamic State and the October 7 events in Gaza. How do you approach such sensitive issues in the classroom while encouraging open and critical discussion?

The way you approach issues significantly impacts your perspective. During the sessions, I found it challenging to remain completely objective on certain topics. It's nearly impossible to set aside your political beliefs or personal attitudes at the classroom door. However, the more crucial aspect is to maintain a humanitarian perspective above all political or strategic considerations. By sharing this viewpoint with the students, you foster an atmosphere of mutual understanding, allowing all students to engage in discussions with constructive criticism.

More than a decade after the Arab Uprisings, how would you assess their legacy? Are we witnessing the aftermath of a failed transition or the emergence of a new regional order?

Unfortunately, the overall legacy of the uprisings is not promising regarding democratic rights and freedoms in the affected countries. These uprisings did not result in democratic transformation. Moreover, they created an environment conducive to international interventions. In places like Syria and Yemen, the uprisings turned these countries into battlegrounds for regional dominance. The ultimate consequence has been the suffering of the people.

Regarding the emergence of a new regional order, the situation has become clearer. Since the conclusion of the Abraham Accords in 2020, a new order has been forming, which I refer to as “Pax Abrahamica.” Despite various attempts to undermine the accords, the regional security structure established under the United States has remained intact.

How do you see the current conflict between Israel and Iran affecting the balance of power in the Middle East, and what role might other countries play in it?

As I mentioned earlier, I view the 12-Day War in the context of the evolving regional security architecture associated with the Abraham Accords. Following the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq in 2011, Iran emerged as a status quo power in the region. However, it soon found itself needing to defend Syria, its key regional ally, amid the uprisings that swept through the country. Now, once again, regional developments have thrust Iran into the role of a revisionist power, which has been significantly weakened after the 12-Day War.

From your perspective, how can European students engage more critically with Middle Eastern issues, beyond mainstream media narratives, and contribute to more informed global debates?

I have observed that European students I know from Turkey and Viadrina engage with Middle Eastern issues in a very critical manner. The challenge lies with the narratives presented by mainstream media and official discourses. However, these students are generally more informed than the mainstream media is about the issues at hand.

Marija Momiroska