Unstoppable brutality: Imperialism

Imperialism and aggression are political methods of attack in interstate relations. At the core of this aggression lie hidden goals of economic exploitation, political dominance, and, as seen in the Middle East, the acquisition of regional power. While the activities of aggression and plunder, carried out with very different methods and tools depending on time and circumstances, were applied in earlier periods through methods that could be perceived as clear military intervention and aggression, in today's conditions, they are carried out through policies that are perceived as economic and commercial relations.

Why are we discussing this topic today? The reason is the Israeli attacks that have shaken all of our hearts, and finally, the US involvement in the conflict—I hope it is temporary—by bombing two locations in Iran.

This subject is foreign to me because, in terms of international relations and their execution, it concerns political science on one hand, and military affairs on the other. However, there is also an economic dimension to the matter, which encompasses and governs both of the aforementioned subjects. Today, I want to look at the issue in the context of its economic dimension.

As in every subject, I will try to examine the justifications behind the apparent practices by applying the dialectical method to the subject of imperialism. Imperialism, which Engels described as the expansion of capitalism in its monopolized and finance-integrated form through the export of capital to the periphery, has today given way to globalization. As such, today's imperialist relations are seen as a kind of commercial relationship, and thus the veiled robbery being carried out is not opposed as it was in the past; it has even turned into a relationship that is desired and invited into the country.

If we look at the hell currently being experienced in the Middle East, what is happening contains neither the imperialist relationship defined by Engels nor the covert exploitation relationship known as globalization in our era. For this reason, what is happening in the Middle East should not be seen as a covert imperialist relationship, but in its crudest form, as the occupation of countries and the reshaping of territory in line with the preferences of powers. The shift of hegemony from the UK to the US after the Second World War necessitates the reshaping of the Middle East, which was originally shaped by the UK. The issue cannot be explained solely by the change in leadership in the capitalist world; in addition, there is the demand for security for the State of Israel, which was established on May 14, 1948. Therefore, the Middle East region is being reshaped in accordance with the goals of weakening Iran, which was initially a friend, and establishing a Kurdish state that can provide security for Israel. Iran's efforts to reach nuclear power are also among the main factors that upset Israel's stomach. It is a strange irony that while Israel does not look favorably upon a neighboring state possessing nuclear power, it itself can exist as the only country in the Middle East with nuclear power, without being accountable to anyone and without being subject to any inspections.

The concern of Israel and its close friend the US regarding Iran cannot be limited solely to the issue of reaching the capacity to produce nuclear weapons. The concern of both Israel and the US regarding Iran is that Iran is a model that is closed to the West, partially hostile, and unwilling to engage with the West in the way the West and Westerners want. We remember that once, during the late Ecevit's term, the US wanted to impose an embargo on tobacco cultivation; Ecevit rejected this, and if I remember correctly, we were hit with a counter-embargo. It is seen that today's imperialist interventions, even if they have an economic purpose at their core, can manifest in the appearance of orders, violence, or imposition. What is happening in the Middle East today is a kind of land clearing carried out in US-Israeli cooperation in line with the preferences of Israel and the US. I am aware that 'land clearing' is an extremely inappropriate and arrogant expression. Yes, but let us think for a moment: can the persecution that Israel has inflicted on the Palestinian people for years, and finally the US getting involved and tearing the Middle East apart like carded wool, be explained in any other way by reason and logic?

In Atatürk's succinct expression, war only and only legitimizes taking up arms for the purpose of liberating a country from enemy occupation. In all other situations and conditions, war is a massacre and slaughter committed by states. What is happening in the Middle East today is not a legitimate war, but a massacre and slaughter. The borders of countries are being forced to change, people are being displaced from their homes and homelands, and even left stateless; the future of children is being stolen. All this brutality is aimed solely at satisfying the sense of security of some countries, or perhaps even a single country. Dragging countries into disaster for the sole purpose of satisfying one country must be the 21st century's understanding of humanity and democracy! So, who will give soothing advice to the destroyed, burned, and demolished countries, and how! This is the view of power-holding countries, inflated by capitalism, on humanity, democracy, and the welfare of countries! Was the very establishment and implementation of capitalism not carried out on blood and hatred? When the 1793 Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen was accepted as an international constitution, it is proven once again today that this constitution can be trampled upon by dominant powers that can attack under the guise of bringing freedom to every country. The United Nations, which was established after the Second World War to replace the former League of Nations, cannot even lift a finger against the ongoing slaughter. It cannot lift a finger because, among the five major states with veto power, three—the US, France, and the UK—are Western. As such, the United Nations is playing a role of impartiality.

Iran responded quite successfully to the attack it expected, despite all the embargoes. Of course, the game is not over yet; let's see how the result will take shape! While hell is being experienced in the Middle East, we, as the people of Turkey, are inevitably becoming anxious. Although the probability is low, while on one hand, the possibility of the war spilling over into our country despite NATO is being considered, on the other hand, the problem of people fleeing the troubles in neighboring states seeking refuge in our country is rising before us. Ensuring that the country stands firm against both situations is an issue that governments must focus on with sensitivity in every period. Naturally, the first thing that comes to mind in the context of defense policy is to keep defense tools and equipment ready at a high level. This situation is related to the defense budget. That is, the size of the defense budget aims to ensure that the country's defense can be provided through domestic production without relying on foreign aid. Almost every citizen is in agreement on this issue. Beyond this, ensuring internal peace in the country is as important as, or even more important than, the external peace to be established with neighbors. Strong industrial peace ensures that the people are bonded to the country with a full sense of belonging. As long as this bonding does not exist, the fragmentation of the people and their looking at each other with feelings of hatred and enmity become more effective than enemy weapons in the country's disintegration and being dragged into disaster. As such, parties that try to garner votes by competing with each other in service until the election stage should turn to serving the people as a whole and without any discrimination after the election. A democratic and fair system, far from favoritism in the social distribution of public services and general administration, especially in law, is an indispensable basic security measure for the country's welfare.

With my wish that the barbarism carried out in the Middle East in the Israel-US partnership will be resolved through peace without turning into a show of force and a test against either Russia or China.