Rania Abouzeid in a report from Cairo, Egypt, for Time magazine (Tuesday, September 13, 2011) writes, the arrival of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Egypt was greeted like a rock star. Thousands of young people involved in the February Revolution which culminated with the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak hailed Erdogan.

This is the government leader to visit a country that had just swept a wave of revolution. Erdogan, in addition to Egypt, also visited Tunisia and Libya. The three countries may be said to have "sit" well established, especially Libya, still have to clean up: struggling.

What is the purpose Erdogan to those countries? Citing Samuel Huntington's opinion, Turkey who has experience as a democracy can be a catalyst in the transformation of autocratic Middle East and consolidate their democratic reforms. In other words, Turkey could be a role model for those countries.

Although Turkey, in the country, is experiencing a struggle of two "ideologies" of which affect their lives, their foreign policy, ie, between neo-ottomanisme and Kemalism (Ömer Taspinar, Turkey's Middle East Policies, Between Neo-Ottomanism and Kemalism).

Neo-ottomanisme is basically the soft power of Turkey. Instinct neo-ottomanisme more confident and less focused on the Kurdish threat. Neo-ottomanisme embrace a vision geostrategik, granstrategik Turkey as an effective regional actor and was directly involved, trying to solve global problems and regional.

Therefore, the concept of neo-imperial agenda ottomanisme may cause, but in the paradigm of neo-ottoman, the Turks did not pursue policies imperalis as a form of neo-revival of the Ottoman caliphate. In short, neo-ottomanisme as "soft power" become a bridge between East and West, a Muslim nation, the state secular, democratic, and as a capitalist economic power.

Meanwhile, Kemalism is the legacy of Kemal Ataturk, who officially became a republican ideology. Kemalism has two pillars, namely the revolutionary and militant secularism. First, to establish a secular republic and the West, Kemal Ataturk abolished the Ottoman Empire and all the tools. Kemalism has a "civilizing mission" that greatly influenced the French Revolution, especially the French clerical tradition. Because of that, both in France and Turkey, religion then becomes a symbol of ancient regimes.

The second pillar is the nationalism assimilationis Kemalism. Kemalist regime rejected the concept of multiculturalism: there is no communal structure that will be between the republic and its citizens. The Kemalist reject cosmopolitan multinational and multiethnic. Therefore, the Kurdish groups viewed as threatening the security and territorial integrity.

The battle between two "ideologies" that is also color the Turkish foreign policy today. In the context of the vision geostrategik, neo-ottomanisme avoid imperalis expansionism, but rather highlight the diplomatic, political and economic role of high-profile, for the Middle East and Europe.

Well, Erdogan traveled to Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya as well as support for the Palestinians, it seems more an expression of neo-ottomanisme vision.