REVISITING PRINCE ABDULKERIM’S CASE THROUGH DECLASSIFIED ARCHIVES: TüRKIYE’S DIPLOMATIC PERCEPTIONS IN FOCUS

OpenAlex English

This article examines how diplomatic representatives of the Republic of Türkiye assessed efforts by Japanese nationalist groups to install the deposed Ottoman Prince Mehmed Abdulkerim (Şehzade Abdülkerim Efendi) as the head of a potential Islamic state in Xinjiang. There is little existing literature addressing this historical episode, with only one English-language research article focusing on Prince Abdulkerim previously published. In our research, we draw on recently declassified and previously unexplored Turkish archives to further deepen our understanding of Prince Abdulkerim's case, specifically, and Turkish foreign policy, in general. Prince Abdulkerim's journey from the Ottoman Empire to Japan and his engagement with Pan-Asianist groups there highlight the complex diplomatic exchanges of that era. Türkiye's cautious and pragmatic response to Prince Abdulkerim's activities, including its collaboration with the USSR to counter Japan's expansionist ambitions, underscores the young Republic's priority to safeguard its domestic and international interests as perceived by the Kemalist regime. Overall, this study not only enhances our understanding of Prince Abdulkerim's case and Turkish foreign policy during the interwar period but also sheds light on the broader geopolitical shifts in early 20th-century Asia.