There is a widespread view in the Turkish public and politics that “the West” supports the opposition. When we say the West, we are talking about a cultural, economic and political-ideological line that includes the United States and the European Union.
They are not wrong in thinking that way.
We remember what U.S. President Joe Biden, who had more diplomatic speeches put in front of him after he settled in the White House, said before the election: “What I think we should be doing is taking a very different approach to him (President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan) now, making it clear that we support opposition leadership ... So I'm very concerned about it.”
He also said that “We can support those elements of the Turkish leadership that still exist and get more from them and embolden them to be able to take on and defeat Erdoğan. Not by a coup, not by a coup, but by the electoral process.”
I think there is no need to enumerate politicians who openly target the Turkish government, like former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, in parallel with Biden's statements.
It is expected that the West does not want an assertive leader who puts the national interest first in Türkiye and dares to pursue policies independent of the U.S. and Europe, since it has the support of the ballot box at home. Erdoğan's presence in the region causes disruptions, delays and increased costs for them, as he always keeps Türkiye’s long-term economic interests and sovereign rights on the table.
On the contrary, the interests of the U.S. and Europe are in favor of a Türkiye that is more predictable, with downplayed goals, and in which the ruling power is divided among several actors.
For example, if the opposition front in Türkiye was in power – as pointed out by Biden – the operations to encircle Russia would undoubtedly progress faster. Or the West could come from thousands of miles away and crash more easily into the natural gas discovered on the Turkish coast of the Eastern Mediterranean. Because there is an opposition trying to win the elections by promising the voters: "The West is behind us. If we win, hot money will flow to Türkiye from the U.S., London and European capitals."
Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) chairperson, who is expected to face President Erdoğan in the 2023 elections, started his election campaign from the U.S. and London. Recently, Kılıçdaroğlu handed over the chair to his adviser, American economist Jeremy Rifkin, at the meeting where the CHP chair unveiled his critical manifesto before the election. Even die-hard opposition writers and journalists said that it is folly to give this message before the election and slammed Kılıçdaroğlu to the ground.
I do not know to what extent the West continues to cooperate with the opposition, which is more than willing to adopt their stance into Turkish policies. Conspiracy theories do not interest me either. But if they think that the Nation Alliance, which has created the perception of surrendering to the West, has a chance of success in the elections, and if they have an "investment plan," they should not forget that they are betting on the competitor with the slimmest chance of winning the race.
Because the Turkish people, whose self-confidence has increased in the last 20 years, saw that they were not condemned to the Western bloc, which even supported coups and terrorist organizations in order to change the government in their country. They realized that being an actor in the global race is not a dream. They also rationalized this situation in their mind.
Our Western friends should also understand that the old working key in their hands does not open doors here. Türkiye is not a Middle Eastern country to be designed with political conspiracies and social engineering. It is not an actor to be overlooked. They have to develop a more equal relationship model with us.
This is the new reality: This is the actual situation, the conditions. They will see more clearly after the election.
