In 2002, when Turkey was on the brink of bankruptcy, the representatives of the "world order" or the colonial empire must have cheered together with the rivals of Turkey. Yet, everybody knew that Turkey was by no means an insignificant country. One of the major reasons behind the eruption of World War I was the unresolved question of the sharing of Ottoman lands. Occupying the Ottoman regions, the colonial empire aimed at destroying Islamic civilization values that had brought the Empire into existence and sustained its growth. By the end of World War I, almost all Islamic lands fell under the occupation of colonial countries, to such an extent that only Turkey and Afghanistan were able to gain their independence a decade after the end of the war. In most Muslim countries, dictators seized political power and adopted radical agendas of modernization. With the help of coup d'états, these dictators carried out forceful modernization in their countries.

Reaping the benefits of modernization, Turkey has never become a subjugated country thanks to its wealthy legacy deriving from its Ottoman past. In the Cyprus Peace Operation, for instance, Turkey openly revolted against the colonial demands of the Western powers and has successfully carried out its role as a guarantor power of Turkish Cypriots. While the Cyprus crisis was escalating, the administration of the United States demanded that Turkey, though a NATO ally, could have not used the arms that were taken from the Western countries in its military operation in Cyprus.

During the Cyprus crisis, the Turkish people had realized the weakness of Turkey's defense industry. Before the eruption of World War I, Sultan Abdulhamid succeeded to establish a modern telegraph system in the major cities of the Empire. Starting from the modernization reforms of Sultan Abdulhamid, Turkey's national industry has now reached the level of producing its own tanks and aircraft, including the most advanced unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Since its foundation, the Turkish Republic has always proved its will to independence. All segments of society, including all leftist and rightest people in Turkey, have given priority to national independence.

During the Cyprus War, the National Salvation Party and the Republican People's Party had formed a coalition government. Bülent Ecevit emerged as a sui generis political leader who radically differed from the Republican People's Party (CHP) in terms of history, religion and the Ottoman legacy. On the other hand, Necmettin Erbakan was far from supporting the mimicry of the Western countries. Instead, Erbakan emphasized Turkey's superiority with regard to culture, politics, and religion.

During this short period, the coalition government had taken serious steps in the sector of heavy industry ranging from iron and steel to the production of engines.Yet, the destructive struggle between leftist and rightest political groups overshadowed such a movement of nationalization in the economy. When Turgut Özal came to power as one of the leading politicians of the world at that time, he had put all his energy on the growth of the Turkish economy. Despite military tutelage, Özal succeeded to enrich the country and to consolidate democracy. From Özal's period onward, the Turkish people would have never surrendered in the face of militarism and military tutelage.

Today, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has also succeeded in identifying his name with economic growth, democratic consolidation, termination of military tutelage and an honorable and prudent foreign policy attitude. President Erdoğan is now known as supporting the world's oppressed peoples, embracing the Ottoman legacy, defending a just world order, and resisting against the barbarism and egoism of the Western powers. In other words, our people's 200-year-long expectations and hopes have come into being in the president's political stance.

Aiming at disrupting Turkey's steps forward, several foreign powers aided and abetted the failed coup d'état of July 15. As usual, colonial powers did not hesitate to shed Muslim blood. In that case, the present sanctions that the U.S. has imposed upon two Turkish ministers should be interpreted as an attempt of settling old scores with Turkey. Under any circumstances, we will never turn back to the days before World War I, as we are much stronger today than we were in the days of the Cyprus crisis.