Atatürk in Disneyland: how a historical drama turned into a political farce

In Türkiye, the scandal surrounding Disney's refusal to release a mini-series about the life and historical legacy of the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, on its online streaming platform has not subsided for several weeks.

The film, which was timed to the 100th anniversary of the republic and was supposed to shed light on the unknown pages of its history, instead highlighted a whole tangle of problems in modern Turkish realities - from the role of the Armenian diaspora in the USA in the normalization of Ankara's relations with Yerevan and Washington to the rethinking of the role of Ataturk among the political elites in Türkiye itself.

Now, more on how and why this happened.

"Majestic Century"

On October 29, 2023, Türkiye will celebrate the centenary of the founding of the Republic. The date is symbolic for many - and for each in its own way.

For the Kemalists, the early supporters of Mustafa Kemal and the current opposition led by the Republican People's Party (CHP), the century of the Republic is an occasion to once again recall Atatürk's unique role in creating a modern secular state on the ruins of the Ottoman Empire and the Islamic Caliphate.

For the representatives of the ruling elites, it is an opportunity to report on the achievements of the state during the first hundred years of its existence, twenty of which passed under the sign of the Justice and Development Party and its constant leader - Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

In the last presidential elections held in May of this year, the basis of Erdoğan's election campaign was the "Century of Türkiye" program. Its main message is the ambition to bring the country into the "higher league" of world powers of the 21st century and to reach a new level of development in all key areas. At the same time, another parallel can easily be read between the lines: in the second century of the republic's existence, the guarantor of its success is the figure of the "new Atatürk" - Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Among the festive events scheduled for October 29, a mini-series about the life of the "father of the Turkish nation" Mustafa Kemal was supposed to be started, with Emma Watson and Aras Bulut Iynemli in the lead roles (better known to Ukrainian viewers as Shehzade Bayazid, the son of Suleiman the Magnificent and Roksolana, from the TV series "Majestic Century").

Filmed in partnership between the Disney company and the Turkish channel FOX TV, the series was not only to be shown in Türkiye but also to become available to a broader audience on the international streaming platform Disney+, thus "popularizing" the figure of Atatürk in the world.

The scandal erupted after representatives of the American film studio said that the film would be released only in Turkish cinemas and on the Turkish channel FOX TV. There has been no official comment from the company yet. But, according to its representatives, the cancellation of the release of the series about Atatürk on the Disney+ platform is due to the desire to make the film available to a wider television audience in Türkiye itself, as well as the new production policy of the company, introduced since July this year (the day before, another several releases of joint production with foreign partners, including Turkish ones).

However, these intentions caused a wave of anger on the Turkish side, which called the cancellation of the international broadcast a politically motivated decision and a manifestation of disrespect for the entire Turkish people.

Dark pages of the empire or disrespect for the republic?

According to Turkish media, the decision was made by the Disney studio after a corresponding appeal by the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), the largest and most influential organization of the Armenian diaspora in the USA, which is actively engaged in public and lobbying activities. In their letter, the ANCA allegedly called on Disney not to air a series that glorifies Atatürk, the founder of the modern Turkish Republic, whom they consider a "dictator and genocidal criminal."

The American company rejects such rumors, but Turkish experts are convinced that this is the reason. In addition to the historical disputes surrounding the status of the events of 1915, the current situation is directly related to the current state of the Armenian-Turkish relationship. For the first time in many years, the normalization process between Yerevan and Ankara has every chance of success against the background of the settlement of the Karabakh issue, the weakening of Russian support for Armenia, and Ankara's desire to improve its relationships with its Western partners. It is no secret that the Armenian diaspora traditionally takes a much tougher position and opposes the Pashinyan government's reconciliation with Türkiye. Therefore, in the current situation, Atatürk is only a "hostage" of the political ambitions of the Armenian lobby in the USA, which is trying to disrupt the normalization process of Ankara's relations with Yerevan and Washington, according to Turkish observers.

In the same context, the Turks blame the ANCA and cooperation with Greek lobbyists in joint attempts to block the process of transferring F-16s and modernization packages to Türkiye, which was intensified in the American Congress after Erdoğan's agreement to open Sweden's path to NATO membership. The decision on the F-16 depends on Robert Menendez, Chairman of the Senate Committee on International Relations, who is a member of the Armenian caucus (support group) in the Senate, and who has repeatedly co-authored resolutions recognizing the events of 1915 as genocide against Armenians, and who also married Nadine Arslanyan, an American Armenian in 2020. So, according to one of the Turkish journalists, the blocking of the series about Atatürk on the American digital platform and the blocking of the F-16 in the American Congress should be considered as links of the same chain, or rather "the network of Armenian influence" in the USA.

"Two fathers" of one nation"

No less interesting was the reaction to the events among the political forces of Türkiye.

As expected, the first to defend Atatürk's "legacy" was his ideological descendants - oppositionists from the Republican People's Party (founded by Atatürk himself) and the Kemalist-nationalist Good Party.

However, the ruling Party of Justice and Development did not stand aside. Its spokesman, Omer Çelik, said that such behavior on the part of Disney+ is disrespectful to the values of the Republic of Türkiye and the entire Turkish people. He also accused Armenian lobby groups in the US of "distorting historical events for political purposes" and trying to prevent the normalization of relations between Türkiye and Armenia.

Meanwhile, well-known Turkish journalist Candan Tolga Işik said that Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin personally intervened in the situation, given its political context and the sensitivity of the issue for Turkish society.

In addition to joining forces to defend national pride, recent events have become another example of a significant shift in the ruling party's rhetoric from "denying" Atatürk's legacy to "identifying" with it.

At the threshold of the second century of the republic's existence, respect for the founder of modern Türkiye, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, is being replaced by a new doctrine focused on the role of the incumbent president as a strong leader and father of the nation.

The new century should become the "century of Türkiye", and Erdoğan - its new Atatürk.