dogu-turkistan-sempozyumu

The Future of East Turkistan: An Evaluation through the SWOT Analysis Method / Assoc Prof Erkin Ekrem
these weaknesses are remedied. In other words, the independence of East Turkistan
will not be easy. The most serious problem with the said model is that the people
of East Turkistan may miss some opportunities due to their weaknesses. If this
is the case, then it is likely that the people of East Turkistan will be disappointed
in their goals. Organizations in East Turkistan need to keep this issue on the
international agenda at all times; the staff of these organizations should become
qualified and the organizations should become institutionalized. Thus, they will
be able to receive the material and moral support of the international society;
this is the only way in which the organizations can make contributions to the
independence of East Turkistan. Otherwise, East Turkistan should abandon
her dreams of independence or define gradual targets towards the final goal of
independence.
If half of the factors affecting the future of human beings are fortune, the
remaining half is human effort. 9 This statement, made by Niccolo Machiavelli
(1469-1527), tells us that human beings can shape their future with their own
hands. A famous futurologist, Herman Kahn (1922-1983) had similar thoughts
too. Namely, even though human beings cannot predict their future, they can
prefer their future. 10 In fact, the shaping of the future in East Turkistan is partially
in the hands of the people of the country. In other words, what they do today will
shape their tomorrow. In this sense, the organizations of East Turkistan should
have a comprehensive knowledge about their own country and they also need to
be aware about international factors. As Michael E. Howard, a famous military
strategy expert, expressed: There is little point in considering where we should
be going if we do not first decide where we are starting from. 11 In the same way
that the cost of yesterday’s mistakes is paid today, today’s mistakes will be paid
for tomorrow. Likewise, any positive steps taken today shall turn out to be awards
for us tomorrow. In this context, foresight is needed to prepare a better future. 12
The power of all powers is the mind. Strategic plans built out of comprehensive
knowledge always have the chance to succeed. There are plenty of things that the
organizations of East Turkistan can do to prepare for an emerging China.
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