The Syrian civil war has played a pivotal role in the exposition of global competition in the post-Cold War period, in addition to the risks of the imprudent policies of countries in the region, Russia's re-emergence as a global actor and the impotence of continental Europe in resolving the international crises. While waves of Syrian refugees threaten the unity of the EU, not a single member state is endeavoring to establish peace or security in Syria or assisting the millions of refugees in returning to their homelands.

The ambitions of Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey to single-handedly become the prominent power in the region have failed. Although the U.K. craftily managed to sustain its colonial empire before the eruption of the two world wars, its international power became all the more obsolete in the post-Cold War era. On the other hand, the U.S., the undisputed superpower of the post-Cold War period, decided to cooperate with the PKK, casting aside its historical and natural allies,Turkey and Saudi Arabia. In the name of exporting democracy, the U.S. first manipulated Daesh and then left the regions previously controlled by that terrorist organization to another terrorist entity - the PYD.

For the last two centuries, the Western powers successfully sustained their colonial empire through military, economic and cultural occupation of colonized countries. After the end of the Cold War, the illegal and unjust war in Iraq that was waged by the U.S. in defiance of the U.N., tarnished the international image of the U.S. and now, amid efforts to fill the vacuum, China appears to be a not-so-insignificant candidate.

The balance of power in the international arena has changed drastically since the end of the Cold War. Former superpowers of the Cold War era have weakened and developing countries have become strengthened. The present volatility of historical alliances demonstrates that the balance of power is fragile and unsteady and that the world order, in its traditional sense, is in crisis.

In addition to the Syrian crisis that continues to host a bitter global competition, the latest events in Northern Iraq expose the dynamics of the new world order. Turkey, Iraq and Iran have cooperated with each other in the face of the independence referendum held by the Kurdish regional authority of Iraq, preventing the emergence of a separate state in Iraq. Therefore, it is evident that whenever the powers of the region cooperate with each other, their capacity to resolve regional crises increases and the involvement of foreign powers in the region diminishes.

In other words, in the face of the perpetuation of war in the Middle East by the colonial system, Turkey and Iran must not only promote their own national interests but also the interests of countries in the region. In order to protect our region from wars and civil wars, it is imperative that the regional powers promote regional solidarity, rather than pursuing global hegemony.