The Turkish government wants the rest of the world to use the country’s own name for itself, and lose the association with a certain bird.
Turkey has changed its name at the United Nations, in the biggest push yet by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government to get the rest of the world to call the country by its Turkish language name, Türkiye (tur-KEE-yeh). The name isn’t new to the Turkish people, who have used it since their country was established in 1923 after the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire. But equally common in the country has been the Anglicized version of the name, which, for some, brings the negative connotations associated with the English language word. The change at the United Nations was set in motion last winter by Mr. Erdogan, whose popularity has sagged since he was re-elected in 2018 and comes as his constituents grapple with soaring food prices and the plummeting value of the Turkish lira.
“It is an attempt also to show to the Turkish public at home and to Turks living in Germany and other Western European countries that Erdogan has the power to assert his will beyond the political boundaries of the country,” said Mustafa Aksakal, a professor of history at Georgetown University in Washington. “The name change may seem silly to some but it puts Erdogan in the role of protector, of safeguarding international respect for the country.
