THE OTTOMAN POSITION ON THE RUSSO JAPANESE WAR IN THE FAR EAST 1896-1905
The research aims to shed light on the Ottoman position on the Russo-Japanese war in the Far East 1904-1905; Where the Ottoman Empire took an intriguing stance, there was a discrepancy between the popular stance and the official stance of the Attic State. The Ottoman people took the stance of open hostility to the Russians, and supported Japan in its struggle against Russia, and the people and intellectuals in the Ottoman Empire showed a great desire for Japan’s victory and defeat.” Petersburg ". While we find the position of Sultan Abdul Hamid and the Ottoman Empire in contradiction to the position of the public towards the people; He adopted the policy of strategic balance in the conflict between the Japanese and the Russians, considering that Russia is the largest neighboring country to the Ottoman Empire, and it still poses a great danger to the property of the Ottoman Empire that must be avoided. Therefore, the Ottoman Sultan followed a completely different plan and policy to the trends of public opinion. He was keen to support Japan, and at the same time avoided angering the European countries that supported the Russians and the possibility of confronting Russia, which is the strongest and most dangerous neighbor to him. Therefore, Sultan Abdul Hamid II adopted many other strategies, and followed a neutral policy towards Russia and Japan, went in the direction of the policy called the policy of balances. We also discussed in this research the development of Ottoman-Japanese relations before the Russo-Japanese war, and focused on the causes of the conflict between the Japanese and Russian states, and its repercussions on the balance of power in the region. And the international position on this conflict, We dealt with the American endeavors to end the war between the two parties under the Port Smouth Agreement, and discussed the effects of the Japanese victory over Russia and its repercussions on the peoples of the East.
Keywords: Russo, Japanese War, Far East, Abdul Hamid Ii, Ottoman Empire.