Atatürk's security policies

The issue of security was a chronic problem, especially during the last century of the Ottoman Empire. From the beginning of the 19th century, the Ottomans became incapable of protecting the country's territorial integrity and, over time, lost the vast majority of their lands due to successive attacks and nationalist-based rebellions. The period of war that lasted from 1912 to 1922 also ended with the Ottoman Empire passing into history.

This dark legacy of (in)security left behind by the Ottomans was a source of anxiety for all citizens in the country during the years the republic was proclaimed. However, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk fundamentally solved the security problem with his foreign policy style, and thanks to this, the citizens of the Republic of Türkiye never experienced the suffering that the Ottomans had endured.

Atatürk first laid the foundations that guaranteed Türkiye's security in the Treaty of Lausanne. The Treaty of Lausanne was an agreement built upon a complete, indisputable military victory. For this reason, it was satisfactory for all signatory parties, and with the exception of Stalin's demand for Kars and Ardahan in 1946, the territorial integrity of the Republic of Türkiye has never been questioned by foreign powers at any time. This move by Stalin was also characterized as an unfounded attempt by the Soviet leaders who came after him and was not repeated.

After the proclamation of the Republic, Atatürk sought the solution to the security problem in foreign policy. Atatürk adopted a foreign policy that did not directly or indirectly threaten the security of any country, and in return, he expected the same foreign policy from other countries toward Türkiye. In 1931, he turned the style of his foreign policy into a doctrine with the motto “peace at home, peace in the world.” With this doctrine, the foundations laid at Lausanne became permanent. The “peace at home, peace in the world” doctrine prohibits all kinds of imperialist, chauvinist, and adventurous attitudes. It is based on respecting the territorial integrity of other countries and demands the same approach from other countries. However, it was also clearly underlined that no step back would be taken against a power that sets its sights on Türkiye's territorial integrity. With this doctrine, Türkiye promises peace to the whole world, and therefore, it deserves to live in peace. The “peace at home, peace in the world” doctrine was successfully implemented by the leaders who succeeded Atatürk and became official by entering the constitution in 1961. 

The “peace at home, peace in the world” doctrine has an international dimension as well as a local one, and it aims to protect and maintain international peace as much as it aims for Türkiye to live in peace. Atatürk desired for his doctrine to be internalized by the whole world, and “peace at home, peace in the world” was appreciated by the statesmen of many countries. However, it cannot be said that Atatürk's desire was ultimately fulfilled. “Peace at home, peace in the world” was not accepted globally, and the world was dragged into a world war much more violent than the previous one.

As for Türkiye, “peace at home, peace in the world” was extremely successful, and with his approach to foreign policy, Atatürk completely solved the security problem that the Ottomans had been unable to solve for many long years. During the turbulent years of the 1930s, Türkiye became one of the few countries that managed to be a friend to all parties, and thanks to İsmet Paşa's successful implementation of this doctrine, it stayed away from the Second World War. Even after the Second World War, Türkiye's leaders did not deviate from Atatürk's path; Türkiye has never been a country that is a source of threat, nor has its territorial integrity been under threat.