The foundation for targeting the Soviet Union and Ottoman Empire markets lay in the replacement of the ruling classes within those two countries, which shattered their original networks of interests and established new local orders.
Take the Soviet Union, for example. During the Tsarist era, the Russian economy had basically been controlled by European capital. After the Soviet Union was established, it swept away the original European and American interest groups, along with the comprador agents they had supported.
As a result, the Soviet Union became a new "virgin land" market. Competition for the Soviet market returned everyone to the same starting line, and the Ottoman Empire would likewise, to a great extent, become a new market due to Kemal's coming reforms.
East Africa did not mind being the first to break the ice with both countries and begin economic cooperation. Although the Soviet Union had previously confiscated East African assets, the assets it seized were far less than the benefits East Africa had once gained in the Soviet Union.
The Ottoman Empire would most likely replicate some of the Soviet Union's earlier policies, especially since the Kemalist government's attitude toward foreign capital would inevitably reshape the Ottoman Empire's original economic structure.
The Ottoman Empire was also a major market with a population nearing thirty million. That alone meant East Africa could not turn a blind eye to it.
Ernst said, "While the global economic situation is still good, the Empire should accelerate its expansion into overseas markets, especially the markets of agricultural nations and backward regions. Wherever possible, we should use treaties to ensure the smooth flow of our trade routes."
"We can even make appropriate concessions to induce them to strengthen their economic ties with East Africa—for example, by helping them build industries and infrastructure such as roads