We were at war in Idlib at the time the pandemic reached Turkey, and the perpetuity matter was directly linked to the developments in our near region. At the time the pandemic became full-blown particularly in Europe and the U.S., Turkey entered a new life or death war in Libya. As our institutions made great progress in the national fight after July 15, 2016, we have been able to achieve success in military operations. The war in Idlib was the continuation of Operation Euphrates Shield. This shows that we have been in wars for perpetuity – that are all linked to one another – since August 2016. This was not interrupted during the pandemic period either, and reached its peak with the second Karabakh War.
One of the topics that does not come up on the agenda within is Turkey’s continuously strengthening presence in Africa. We faced defeat there as well a century ago. We had fought against the Italians in Libya. The fact that history is continuing from where we left off more than a century ago is noteworthy. Locations where tensions are felt most intensely and where events present war are most valuable geopolitically.
Some places never lose their significance. Libya was very valuable a century ago as well. Thus, it was not the people of Libya alone who won when putschist Khalifa Haftar faced defeat and had to withdraw and accept the terms. The rules of the game in the East Mediterranean changed, and the position the sides had prior to the Libya war no longer had any significance.
The following developments confirm the fact that we took the most critical steps in terms of establishing influence and reaching far and wide in Africa and Asia. There is no question that France is the sole power in Western Africa. With the exception of a few countries, a great fight is necessary in order to shatter France’s colonial empire. However, Turkey has many friends in these areas.
Places that have historical ties with Turkey are plenty in the west, north and east of Africa. Turkey needs to give assurances. Thus, once this assurance was established in Libya, the atmosphere in North Africa and the East Mediterranean started to develop in Turkey’s favor. This also applies to the depths of Asia. We can see the results of the second Karabakh War in Afghanistan and Fergana Valley.
Of course we do not credit this to Turkey’s power alone. Turkey has many brothers and friends in these areas. Considering it in terms of the post-colonial era, we can see that the changes in the depths of our region are all linked to one another. It is observed that once assurance was established, events rapidly changed course.
It is not possible to explain everything at length in this article, however, the fact that the Turkish state mind was quick to realize the danger was one of the most important factors leading up to the neutralization of the Feb. 28 process.
The pro-American power elites had driven Turkey to the brink. The discharge of pro-NATO commissioned officers during this period was important. In the period that followed, we saw the Turkish state mind unite in the person of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Soldiers were now going to make history at sea, in the air, and on the ground by fulfilling their duty. The state mind had united for the first time in centuries.
The state mind, which was exhausted by the Fetullah Terrorist Organization(FETÖ)’s deadly blows despite having recovered shortly after an intervention as severe as Feb. 28, launching a perpetuity war immediately after July 15, 2016 is bewildering.
As important as it is to overcome such a tough period alive and intact, carrying on operations in the depths of Africa and Asia, and changing the rules of the game in the East Mediterranean is a major development. There is no doubt that all this must be explained through the development of the Turkish state mind.
Therefore, we must see that they want us to lose our faith. We are already aware that they want to destroy our thought tradition, which plays the main role in Turkey keeping up with the times. It is very clear that they want to shake our growing confidence with respect to achieving our objectives. This is also the conservative opposition’s most important role. We can consider the retired admirals’ midnight declaration within this context as well. They wanted to give the impression that there is no Turkish state mind. They wanted to shake the confidence that developed in the depths of Africa and Asia. Yet, Turkey’s friends have their sights set on the developments in Anatolia.
Prior to coming to office, U.S. President Joe Biden had mentioned that President Erdoğan had to be ousted. The opposition front wasted no time to react, which is a characteristic of the post-colonial era.
The admirals need to stop and ask themselves a question about where they are headed. If they look back at the last millennium, they would see that the Turkish state mind will not surrender to such a small group. It is possible to see the summary of this last millennium in Mr. Erdoğan’s two-decades in power.
It is truly ironic to see those who did not know what to do while being taken into custody now try to regulate the state.
