We are fast approaching the end of the grave disaster Covid-19 inflicted upon humanity and all countries. The damage caused by the pandemic will be overcome. The health, economic, and psychological afflictions will be overcome. We will return to our normal lives with the addition of a few new habits.
The pandemic was more than just a health problem; it was more than just an epidemic. People’s perspective of the world has changed. The way countries’ perceive each other has also changed. At a time when the biggest geopolitical fractures of the 21st century were taking place, the global system was upended, great powers were weakened and alliances started to come to pieces, and emerging powers started to take to the stage, the pandemic expedited these power shifts at an extraordinary rate.
We saw many examples of helplessness, joking matters…
The pandemic weakened the U.S.’s sway and influence over the world. It weakened EU countries’ clout as well. It weakened the reign of the powers that won World Wars I and II and the Cold War. It strengthened the construction of a world despite them. It dramatically reduced the faith in the world shaped by them.
It had become clear before the pandemic: There would no longer be a world shaped single-handedly by the Atlantic alliance. But after the pandemic we saw many examples of helplessness and laughing matters in both the U.S. and Europe, which led to the collapse of the “Western” image. Even the most fervent pro-U.S., pro-Europe, pro-West thinkers started to have big question marks in their head.
G7 leaders photograph: Remnants of the old world
Looking at the photograph from the G7 summit held in the U.K., it was so obvious that “this organization has no theory, idea, or suggestion left to offer the world,” and all that was left was a photograph of obsolete powers, who were using what remains from their former reputation. The Covid pandemic alone destroyed their entire image, revealing all their helplessness and weaknesses.
Among the profile of leaders who attended the G7 summit, it is very clear that none of the U.S. and European leaders – other than German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s consistency – have any spark or vision to offer something new to the world, to give hope to humanity, to lead the masses behind them, and guide them against global ambiguities.
Is Biden going to guide the world? Or Macron? They have nothing but their arrogance…
Is U.S. President Joe Biden going to guide the world? Is French President Emmanuel Macron going to draw a path for the world? Are the leaders in that photograph going to shape the world of the 21st century? Is humanity going to follow the leaders rejected by three quarters of the world?
Such a world no longer exists. The West is stuck in its past and is unable to get out of it. All it has left is its ongoing arrogance, since the geographical discoveries, since the start of colonialism, since the time it took hostage nations and countries.
West’s ordinariness is sign it’s collapsing
We are perhaps watching for the first time in centuries the West drift away from the center. The mind, power and will that won the world wars and established world orders is nowhere to be seen.
The manner in which the Western order, based completely on colonialism and plundering, used its mind and power destroyed humanity’s trust in it.
This is true in terms of mentality as well. Just as they have nothing to offer the world, there is very little the world will want from them. The spell is broken. Humanity has seen the weakness and ordinariness of those leaders.
The West is surviving solely with the brute force from the past, continued by the established order. Everybody who has sense is aware that this will not last long, and will rapidly diminish.
We will see extraordinary shifts in power. The West will fight among itself.
Just as the 2008 economic crisis was more than a financial one, just as it was a geopolitical crisis that led to political and economic power slides, similarly the Covid-19 pandemic is more than just a health problem.
We will see serious power shifts. This will begin as soon as the pandemic ends – and it has already started. We are going to see extraordinary moves at incredible rates. We are going to witness major crises, tensions and conflicts from Asia to Africa, Middle East to South Asia, Balkans to the Caucasus, and even within Europe itself.
Of course those who have constituted the center of the world for centuries are not going to want to share this power. They will have great fights over it with others and among themselves. But the world is on a new path regardless, and they are not going to be able to stop it.
Follow emerging countries.
They’re the ones that are going to change the world.
Watch out for Turkey’s surprise.
Follow emerging countries. Look at what they are saying, their theories, their promises, their increasing confidence, their enthusiasm, their relentless energy to continue the struggle, their dynamism, and production. Look at how some of those countries are recalling their former imperial mind to the present.
They are the countries that will change the world. They are the ones that will build the future. They are the ones that are going to settle in the center. They are the ones that are going to end the unilateral global reign that has been ongoing for centuries. It is during this period that these countries will gain extraordinary strength while central powers fade away.
21st century’s surprise country: Turkey
There is no doubt that Turkey is the most striking among these countries. From the U.S. to Europe, Asia to Africa, the world is talking about a surprise country. All capitals are asking “how it accomplished this feat, how it achieved this success, what else does it have in mind, and what else does it have its sights set on.”
Some are looking at it with envy, hope and joy, while others are discussing it, concerned about “how they will stop this force.” As a matter of fact, both these perspectives are acknowledging the new actors of the global system.
Erdoğan-Biden meeting: US no longer has power to steer Turkey.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s NATO summit attendance, his meeting with Biden is extremely important in this context. Post-pandemic activities have kicked off. Everyone is going to set their own game and redefine their position. No power, country or alliance is going to be able to deny the fact that rules cannot be determined without Turkey’s involvement.
From now on, all summits will revolve around the equality of powers. No table will be one-sided. We will not sit at the table to request something, but for the reciprocal negotiation of power.
No country, including the U.S., has the power to steer Turkey. No country, including the U.S., has the power to “stop Turkey.” Every country, including the U.S., must redefine their relations with Turkey. It is no longer us that must compromise but they. We will see this clearly.
Biden used terror to give message to Turkey. US’s terrorists attacked hospital.
It never fails. A violent terrorist attack precedes every summit between President Erdoğan and U.S. presidents. The message is given through terrorism. The same method was utilized once again. The Kurdistan Workers’ Party/People’s Protection Units (PKK/YPG), armed by the U.S., attacked a hospital in Afrin and killed eight civilians with U.S. weapons.
But these are old methods. They will not change the present or the future. They cannot scare away Turkey.
The post-pandemic global power showdown has started. Turkey, a country that continued its geopolitical interventions without cease even during the pandemic era, is the country most prepared for this period. The world is going to watch the thoughts and actions of a “great actor.”
So will we.
