In this month’s article, I would like to analyze the ‘Think Tanks’ in our country and share them with you. Before moving on to the ‘Think Tank’ analysis in our country, I think it would be good to start my article by evaluating the non-governmental organizations in our country.

Civil society has a very important place in my life. I am someone who has founded and become a member of many non-governmental organizations and currently heads two non-governmental organizations. I strive to contribute to our country at least a little, thanks to the civil societies in which I work. However, as a civil society leader, I regret to say that CIVIL SOCIETY has begun to occur in our country in recent years.

The number of active associations and foundations in Turkey is 114,218. 23,461 associations and foundations operate in Istanbul, 10,985 in Ankara, and 6,300 in Izmir. While you are reading these figures, the number of associations and foundations has already increased. Citizen associations come first. Associations involving sports activities, charities for mosques and, to a small extent, business associations are also included in these figures. When you look at this table, it would not be wrong to say that every association and foundation in our country is being established. So what do these associations and foundations do? Why are people so interested in establishing associations and foundations? I don’t know what you think, but I want to share my ideas with you.

It is possible to see many of those who establish or become members of associations and foundations as ‘title enthusiasts’. Establishing an association or entering its management and getting a business card, trying to show yourself off… Last month, when I met someone in his 50s at a venue, the card he gave me had information about his company on the front. I looked at the back of the card but I didn’t care. He divided the back of the card into three and wrote his duties in three associations. I could not believe my eyes. Whatever I say is useless. Like this example, unfortunately, many people see associations and foundations as ‘a stepping stone to enter politics’. However, there are many people who see associations and foundations as a way to ‘gain a network’. Many people resign from their association or foundation when they fail to achieve the three gains I mentioned. In a way, when he can’t use the environment he’s in and doesn’t make a profit, he runs away… What I want to say and what I feel sorry for is this. You can use associations and foundations for the title. You can see it as a stepping stone to enter politics. You can also see it as a gain for the network. This is your right, of course. Well, everything is fine; What do you think, if we think about contributing a little to our COUNTRY? What if we produce PROJECTS for the future of our country? But unfortunately, in nearly 90% of associations and foundations, INDIVIDUAL INTERESTS come to the fore. Civil societies are not places for ego satisfaction. It shouldn’t be. The priority should be to contribute by producing projects for our country. When you produce projects and make efforts for our country; You will also reach the network I mentioned above, you will have a full title, not an empty title, and if you are lucky, you will be successful in politics.

According to many studies, the rate of participation in civil society in our country is decreasing day by day. We can see in research that especially young people do not participate in civil society. This situation is truly very sad and a worrying indicator for our country. Civil society should not be intertwined with politics, it should be NEUTRAL and OPEN TO ALL OPINIONS. Otherwise, the situation would not be different from the saying that the blind and the deaf welcome each other!

It is obvious that there is CIVIL SOCIETY in our country. I regret to say that it is obvious that there is ‘THINK-TANKLESSNESS’ in our country. Unfortunately, as a country, we are very, very weak in this regard.

So, what do and should these ‘Think Tanklers’, which are almost non-existent in our country, do? When it comes to the question, I would like to share my ideas with you.

‘Thin Tanks’ are indispensable for a country and they have a very important mission. These organizations produce ideas for the benefit of the country, prepare reports for the relevant states and organizations, and create the infrastructure for the state to take the necessary steps regarding the future of the country. They determine short, medium and long-term strategies on many issues and act as a kind of consultant to the state.

There are almost no ‘Think Tanks’ in our country. According to official figures, there are only 38 think tanks in our country. If you ask how many of them are active, you can tell me 5, I will say 7… If we do not count some of the strategy centers in universities, this number will decrease even more.

After looking at the situation in our country, let’s look at the situation of ‘Think Tanks’ in the World.

The 25 countries with the most Think Tank organizations:

1. America 1816

2. China 425

3. India 292

4. England 278

5. Germany 191

6. France 176

7. Argentina 131

8. Russia 112

9. Japan 103

10. Canada 97

11. Italy 90

12. South Africa 85

13. Brazil 81

14. Switzerland 66

15. Sweden 65

16. Mexico 57

17. Spain 55

18. Romania 54

19. Israel 54

20. Kenya 53

20. Netherlands 53

22. Taiwan 52

22. Belgium 52

23. Bolivia 51

24. Ukraine 47

For comparison, let’s take a look at the world’s

Let’s look at the ranking of the top 10 countries with the largest economies.

The 10 countries with the largest economies in the world:

1-America

2-China

3-Japan

4-Germany

5-England

6-France

7-India

8-Italy

9-Brazil

10-Canada

I think that the above rankings are important data to see that there is a connection between the countries with the most Think Tanks in the world and the countries with the largest economies. The USA and China are at the top in both categories. We must also say that almost all of the most powerful ‘Think Tanks’ in the world are located in the USA. In other countries, it shares the same rankings in both categories. As a country, we have the 17th largest economy in the world, but we are not even among the top 30 countries in the Think Tanks rankings. Based on the link above, if our country moves up in the ‘Think Tank’ ranking, perhaps our economy will improve. Say what?

We also see that some ‘Think Tanks’ are carrying out the ‘back door diplomacy’ that our 8th President, the late Turgut Özal, frequently used and implemented in the 80s. We see that especially the USA practices this diplomacy a lot.

So what should we do as a country?

We must create a ‘common sense’ on many issues that concern our future, especially the foreign policy problems that our country is likely to experience in the coming days. I think we urgently need ‘Think Tanks’ who can easily express their ideas, think about and guide the steps our country will take in the future. I think that supporting ‘Think Tanks’ with these features by the state, if necessary, and paving the way for the generation of different ideas, will provide serious benefits for our country.

Hoping for days when common sense comes to the fore..

Best regards…