DEVLET: A NEW WORLD OF POLITICS

Over the past year, I have only published 4 articles in Essydo Magazine. Before, I published articles more frequently. Neither did my passion for political and societal questioned faded nor did I lack the ambition to provide you with technical insights into the world of politics. In fact, the contrary was the case. Over the past year, I realised a plan that I made many years ago: I wrote a book. It was 12 August 2021 when I deleted all the loose text pieces and sorry attempts at an endeavour which, in the end, became much bigger than I had envisioned. It was the day, I started writing on a blank page, though this time I was determined to consequently lean on the years leading up to 12 August 2021 and tackle this plan with full confidence. Today, I am proud to announce that DEVLET is now available online!

The book is called Devlet and it establishes a new state theory. It is not merely a critique of political systems, politicians and politics in general. It is not an attempt to create controversy. It is also not an advocative pamphlet for a political camp. Usually, new works within the fields of political theory tend to be very sceptical of certain situations, while also framing problems and difficulties overly emotional. Yet, they often fail to provide an alternative. Vague compromises, then, are formulated, at best. I believe that such approaches are born out of an awareness that we, as societies, could somehow do better, but seldom are feasible solutions to very vaguely defined problems presented. Devlet is not a product of unhappiness with the current state of affairs but one of curiosity about how well our future could be structured. One could describe Devlet as an overlooked path to destinations only a few would not want to visit. Thus, Devlet is an attempt to form the best fundament for societal progress. It surely does criticise why past fundamental concepts fell eventually short to create lasting civilisational progress. It does point out weaknesses and misassumptions from the past. However, the core of Devlet deals with how states should behave, how they should be structured and how we could realistically manage a transition from current political systems to devletist political systems.

What IS Devletism?

Surely, this article will not be able to come close to describing the devletist idea properly. However, because I envision using this commentary on this book as a starting point for future works within this magazine, sketching a part of the core idea of Devletism is nonetheless useful. The devletist idea aims to make societal advancement more efficient and effective - as practically most political systems do. However, Devletism redefines what can be understood as societal advancement or progress, which simultaneously alters our understanding of efficiency and effectiveness in this context. Some scholars of political science consider societal advancement to lie within the expansion of power. This can have various reasons. While one camp points to improved survival chances of nations, others point to an improved environment for wealth creation through power. Another school on the idea of societal progress defends that nations advance through the expansion of wealth, both horizontally and vertically. In other words, nations aim to become richer and enable their respective societies to have more means of material comfort. Devletism rejects both ideas on the ground that they are relational.

I cannot and will not elaborate on the specifics of the core element of the devletist school of political thinking. In this book, you will find a stringent tour through the philosophical foundations, normative assumptions and core concepts. Further, I propose feasible state structures for the general design of the devletist state. In the second half of the book, I discuss the six policy areas of the devletist state and around which normative principles they are structured. From education and economy to foreign policy and justice, every corner of the state is viewed from this new lens.

What Happens To Essydo Magazine?

And so will upcoming topics in Essydo Magazine! This commentary marks a very important point for this magazine as the following works will be structured along the lines of Devletism. Surely, this is not to say that there will be a substantial deviation from the contents that have been published in the past. However, with this structured fundament of the devletist idea, it will be more fruitful to use this framework for understanding political and societal developments in the world. Most importantly, it enables the proper crafting of potential policy designs. Future works, thus, will be less exploratory but more prescriptive - they will have more of the character of a policy proposal. I certainly attempted this with many of my past works but will increase my focus on doing so in the future. This magazine, thus, is the first devletist magazine in the world. It takes the idea of Devletism as a central normative anchor for politics and places it at its heart for all its works in the future. Whatever topic is going to be treated, it is going to be a devletist approach from now on.

Finally, I would like to thank those who supported me with my studies as well as all supporters of this magazine. Though few in number, you have moved many hurdles out of my way and I am grateful for each and every one of you. But I cannot but thank all the political scientists from the past, present and future for the work they have produced. You are, by adding to this beautiful field of science, truly admirable and more than role models. Hopefully, my humble contributions to political science are worthy to be placed on the shelves next to all the fantastic treatises of my fellow colleagues.

DEVLET now available!