Internal conflicts among Islamic countries strengthen Western colonialism

Recently, U.S. President Donald Trump made a derogatory remark about Saudi Arabia's leader, King Salman. Aiming threats at the Saudi king, Trump said that he "would not last two weeks" without the U.S.' support and that "he has to pay." The king has yet to respond; however, Trump's derogatory remarks deserve retaliation, at least in terms of diplomatic relations.

A few months ago, Trump signed an arms deal with the leaders of select Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), for the purchase of weapons from the U.S. totaling almost $500 billion. A bribe of such immense magnitude has been seen by Trump as indispensable for the American economy.

To get to the bottom of the matter, it is necessary to remember the escalating tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran that started last year. Anxious about Iranian aggression, Saudis have unconditionally surrendered themselves to the U.S. to such an extent that they have left Turkey alone, even in the Palestinian cause.

When the Syrian civil war was erupted, the regional competition between Turkey and Iran escalated to a whole new level, with the two regional powers adopting different goals for the future of Syria. Yet, when powerful international actors entered the Syrian crisis, the Turkish-Iranian competition began to hurt the interests of both countries.

Apart from Iran and Saudi Arabia, Washington has also threatened Turkey under the pretext of our so-called axis shift; however, despite the rough patch, the Turkish-American relationship has a long, solid history.

From the early 1970s until very recently, all Muslim countries had been supporting the Palestinians against Israeli occupation and cruelty. Today, however, only Turkey backs the Palestinian cause, with almost all Gulf countries now supporting Israel instead.

Libya now faces disintegration; Afghanistan is currently under foreign occupation; Egypt is under the yoke of poverty and military rule; and Yemen is wrestling with a devastating civil war. Almost every Islamic country is currently suffering from cruelty, poverty and bloodshed.

In the face of such disasters in the Islamic world, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has to take an initiative by putting away its internal conflicts; otherwise, the winner will certainly be Western colonialism once again.

Regarding the Palestinian issue, the OIC succeeded in condemning the U.S. to isolation in the United Nations. On the other hand, while oil-rich Gulf countries have begun to lose their importance in the international arena, other countries who have rich state traditions like Turkey, Pakistan, Iran, Malaysia and Indonesia have increased their political influence. Emerging as the leading power of the Islamic countries, Turkey must develop a comprehensive vision for the OIC, establish a "Westphalian peace" among the Muslim countries and thus, weaken Western colonialism.