How did 2023 pass in the world?

The year 2023, in which we celebrated the 100th anniversary of our Republic, witnessed rapid changes in world politics. The war between Russia and Ukraine continues. Israel’s brutality against the Palestinian people in Gaza persists. The US and Europe are backing Ukraine and Israel. 

2023 was also an important year in terms of showing the limits of US power. Despite the US, Saudi Arabia continued its rapprochement with Russia and China. Moreover, it normalized its relations with Iran. Furthermore, China brokered this deal. The US did not find what it hoped for in Syria and Iran. It could not prevent the expansion of BRICS and the SCO. Although it continued its moves to encircle China from its immediate surroundings through alliances like AUKUS and QUAD, it did not achieve the desired result. It also failed to get the desired outcome against Russia and China. 

The US, which managed to maintain its influence over Europe, made Finland a NATO member. Sweden’s membership is also on the way. The improvement of Turkey’s relations with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates also pleased the US. While Turkey-Israel relations were also improving, the brutality Israel inflicted in Gaza halted this process. The US also supported normalization between Turkey and Greece, which it has turned into a major military base. 

Despite the European Union’s economic, technological, and industrial power, led by Germany, it was once again seen that it is very weak on the military, political, and diplomatic levels, both in Ukraine and in Gaza. Europe aligned itself with the US on both fronts. While looking to the US and NATO for direction, it was understood that the “European Army” project, occasionally brought to the agenda by Germany and France, would not be realized, at least in the foreseeable future. Europe, which remained silent in the face of the US furrowing its brows and asking, “Why do you need a European army when NATO exists?”, also received this rebuke from the US: “If you have so much money, first increase your payments to NATO.” 

NATO; in the days when the Cold War ended, was looking for a new enemy and in this context, was listing human rights, disarmament, radical movements, nuclear terrorism, drug trafficking, and transnational crimes as new mission areas. Since it could not find large-scale enemies to replace Communism and the USSR, its existence was being debated at that time. However, this situation did not last long. NATO, which is the US’s apparatus for attack and occupation, has viewed Russia and China as enemies for years. This situation became even more certain and clear in 2023.   

The year 2023 was also a year that showed, perhaps for the thousandth time, that Turkey can never be a member of the European Union. What did the European Union say to Turkey in 2004? First; Turkey’s negotiation process does not include a guarantee of full membership. Second; even if EU member governments and parliaments accept Turkey’s full membership, any country that wishes can take Turkey’s membership to a referendum. Third; Turkey’s full membership is closely related to the EU’s absorption capacity. Even if Turkey becomes a full member, free movement for Turkish citizens may not come to the agenda immediately. Fourth; even if Turkey is not made a full member, it must be tightly bound to EU institutions. Moreover, even if the negotiations between Turkey and the EU, which have stalled, were to be reopened, they are already performative, so no one is optimistic about membership anyway. 

In short, 2023 was a year in which chaos, violence, and tension came to the fore in foreign policy. Expecting the picture to change for 2024 would be too optimistic. The fierce competition between great powers, especially proxy wars, will continue in 2024.