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From Enemies to Friends with No Benefits: The Failed Attempt at an Ottoman–Iranian Alliance in the Aftermath of the 1908 Revolution

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2022

Serpil Atamaz Open the ORCID record for Serpil Atamaz [Opens in a new window]
Serpil Atamaz*
Affiliation:
California State University, Sacramento
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Abstract

This paper examines the historical developments and the debates revolving around the formation of an Ottoman–Iranian alliance in the Ottoman Empire in the aftermath of the 1908 Revolution. It argues that although neither the idea of an alliance between the two states nor the attempt to establish it was new, the way it was discussed, justified, and promoted in this period was different. The previous attempts by the Ottomans were led by the state as part of a broader pan-Islamist project (ittihad-ı İslam) that adopted a heavily religious tone. On the other hand, the main proponents of the alliance during the constitutional period were mostly transnational/international figures and religious scholars, who framed the issue within the context of Ottoman–Iranian relations, focusing on immediate pragmatic, strategic, and ideological concerns, such as protecting the sovereignty and security of the two countries against European imperialism through constitutionalism. Rather than focusing on reconciling the disputes between the Sunnis and Shi’is, and presenting this alliance as the first step towards the formation of a broader Islamic union as Abdülhamid II did in the nineteenth century, these people emphasized brotherhood and solidarity between the two constitutional governments, and tried to establish a strategic partnership based on shared borders, experiences, ideals, and enemies.

Keywords

Ottoman–Iranian AllianceOttoman–Iranian RelationsRevolution of 1908Iranian Constitutional RevolutionPan-IslamismCommittee of Union and Progress
Type
Research Article
Information
Iranian Studies , Volume 54 , Issue 5-6 , December 2021 , pp. 879 - 905
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Copyright
Copyright © Association For Iranian Studies, Inc 2021

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Footnotes

Her research interests lie in early twentieth century Turkey and Iran, with particular emphasis on women, nation-building, press, modernity, and Turkish–Iranian interactions.

This work was completed with the help of the Scholarly and Creative Activity grant provided by the College of Arts and Letters at California State University, Sacramento.

An earlier version of this paper was presented at the tenth Western Ottomanists’ Workshop at Claremont McKenna College in March 2019. I would like to thank the participants of the workshop for their valuable feedback. I am particularly grateful to Farzin Vejdani and Fariba Zarinebaf, who provided detailed comments on earlier drafts of this paper. Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to the anonymous reviewers and editors of Iranian Studies for their suggestions.

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