Who are the powers that truly govern the US, Europe?

“The West’s attitude in the Ukraine War is not right, as it is carrying out a policy based on provocation. It doesn’t seem like the war will end any time soon. Those who underestimate Russia are making such a huge mistake! Russia is not a country to be underestimated.” 

 The above statement by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is the strongest expression of whom Türkiye “actually” thinks is right in the Ukraine crisis, which has turned into war since February. 

 Besides Ankara’s general criticisms of the West, this statement quickly received a response from Russian President Vladimir Putin through the subject of the grain transported to the world from Ukraine: “It went to the rich, it is not going to the poor, Türkiye’s irreplaceable role in the crisis is obvious. I will be discussing this with Mr. Erdogan at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting.” 

There is a shallow but loud segment in Türkiye that will accuse you of belonging to the front you support when you state which side you believe is right, and which side you believe is wrong in an international relations crisis. Of course, this reveals which side the accuser is on as well. 

 Yet, Ankara’s political leaders identifying who is right/wrong in a foreign policy conflict not only contributes to Ankara’s reputability/message to the world, but it also paves the way to gaining maximum national benefit in such conflicts. 

 When you ask those who make the same said accusations to “Make a list of Türkiye’s friends and enemies,” you will see they have great difficulty in adding the U.S. to the "friends” list – even though they really want to – and involuntarily write Russia under friends. 

 But those who write “involuntarily” have a “longing for the old days” in relations with the West in the back of their minds. 

 Saying our relations with the U.S., Israel, the EU, World Bank, and IMF “should be like it was in the past,” is to say, “We are pro-West, we are pro-U.S., we are pro-Atlantic!” If you noticed, they are not saying, “We want good relations.” They are saying, “We want relations to be the way it was in the past.” “The past” is them. 

European countries and specifically the EU is in the same boat. 

 They are not happy with their relations with the U.S. According to some experts, tensions between Europe and the U.S. is not about common objectives, but about “implementation.” This approach, which is based on the idea that the mechanisms of the capitalist system behind both powers, needs to be discussed. However, it is clear that Europe wants to avoid U.S. pressure as much as possible. 

Hence, the European Political Community (EPC) summit, which will be held in Prague on Oct/ 6-7, and its participants' list, is noteworthy in this respect. Besides the 27 EU members, Türkiye, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Norway, Liechtenstein, Sweden, the U.K., Iceland, Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Armenia, and Azerbaijan leaderships are all invited. 

 Very much like the PESCO/the European Army, the timid steps of free/authentic European national security pursuits, the EPC is timid, but it is a pursuit for a sort of “autonomy” in terms of the region it seeks to form/encompass. It is an attempt to increase the number of geopolitical cards, and take them into its hands. 

But what do these attempts signify in terms of the U.S., or in terms of U.S. influence on Europe? 

If we look at the simultaneous example, Thursday defense ministers and/or chief of general staff from more than 50 countries gathered at Germany’s Ramstein Airbase upon U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s invite. Weapon support to Ukraine from now on and the strategy that will be followed in the country’s fight against Russia were discussed at the meeting. It seems the Pentagon is going to recharge European countries’ lack of motivation and lost synergy resulting from their constant complaints about matters such as the slowdown in the economy, energy, food, and supply chains, among others, because of the war. 

Nobody wants to go to war. But they will continue, and they are doing this because of their fear of the U.S. The U.S. is disciplining Europe. It is teaching Europe where to stop regarding Russia and China. Despite open/covert objections from many countries, they do what they are told. 

Is it possible to give an example of the “powers” behind the U.S. and Europe as well? 

Numerous experts and media outlets worldwide are publishing analyses stating that this winter will be a long and difficult, producing economic and social tremors. I don’t like to make any references to the credit rating institutes I always find sinister, but this is exactly the way they perceive the situation as well, and are revising their projections regarding the future on a daily basis. 

 One of these was Deutsche Bank CEO Christian Sewing. He said at a conference in Frankfurt with all banks in attendance that, “A recession in the German economy is no longer preventable. High inflation will melt away people’s savings. It will have major social effects as well.” 

Any issues up to here? No. These are known fears. 

 But what would you say to this: “Germany’s economic dependence on China is a significant risk. We learned how dangerous it is to be dependent on certain countries. The increasing isolation toward China and its rising tensions with the U.S. presents an important risk for Germany. This should not be compared to Russia. Reducing this dependence on China will bring radical changes.” 

 You understand, right? They are saying, “If you don’t want the economy to go any worse, mend your relations with China – and of course, with Russia as well. 

 This is the “system.”