This vital gathering serves a profound purpose by comparing the contemporary international conjuncture with the critical transition period of 1919–1939. During that interwar era, as the old European-centric order unraveled, the failure to contain localized and regional conflicts ultimately dragged humanity into a devastating global war. Today, as we approach the end of the post-Cold War transition era, we are witnessing a strikingly similar pattern of regional friction. Cultivating strategic intellect through such forums to prevent localized proxy conflicts from escalating into a catastrophic world war is an exceptionally valuable and commendable endeavor.
During the 1919–1939 era, Türkiye set a historic precedent by waging the first successful anti-imperialist war of independence under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, establishing a sovereign nation-state shoulder-to-shoulder with the Soviet Union against a common adversary. In that era, Türkiye inspired the world both through its planned mixed-economy framework—which arguably served as an early model for modern China—and its peace-oriented foreign policy. However, with the onset of the Cold War, Türkiye was integrated into NATO not out of its own organic drive, but as a component of Washington’s containment doctrine, expected to serve US hegemonic ambitions in the Middle East.
Whenever Türkiye asserted its own national interests over Atlanticist directives, it encountered severe friction with Washington and NATO. NATO has provided no genuine contribution to Türkiye’s national security. Paradoxically, the sole “benefit” of NATO membership was forcing Türkiye to realize through bitter experience that it must achieve defense self-reliance. Türkiye received its first major geopolitical lesson via the infamous 1964 Johnson Letter, wherein the US explicitly stated that Article 5 would only be invoked if aligned with American interests. Subsequently, the 1975 US arms embargo compelled Türkiye to lay the foundational stones of its domestic defense industry.
Today, the United States is actively pursuing a encirclement policy against Türkiye through its expanding military footprint in Greece and Crete, its growing military presence in Southern Cyprus, and its continuous arming of factions that directly threaten Türkiye’s territorial integrity along its southeastern borders. Consequently, it is imperative for Türkiye to reclaim its honorable legacy of complete independence, anti-imperialist sovereignty, and region-centered diplomacy.
