Can Baydarol
I must admit, as I get older, some of my abilities are declining. I can now only read and write as much as my eyes allow. The last book I picked up, which took me three days to finish, was Dan Brown’s much-hyped ‘The Da Vinci Code’. I won’t go into great detail about the book, as I don’t want to spoil it for those who intend to read it (and it is worth reading). However, I will recommend it to those who wish to take a beautiful tour of Prague, and I will inevitably reveal its greatest secret at this point. The greatest fear is death and the fear of the unknown that follows. If this fear can be overcome, then peace will reign in the world.
Yes, if we return to our current fears, based on the author’s conclusion that death is not something to be greatly feared.
How many sane people do you think were afraid that Trump might accidentally win the Nobel Peace Prize? While I didn’t think it was very likely, I wasn’t worried, but I wasn’t unconcerned either. Consider that the US President, who elevated Netanyahu, the main actor in the Palestinian genocide, to the rank of victorious commander and attributed this victory to the high-tech weapons he supplied, and who threatens that Gaza will turn back into hell if the current ceasefire conditions are not adhered to, could receive a “Peace Prize”.
Do you think the fear that this ceasefire cannot be sustained is unjustified?
Well, putting that fear aside and moving on to the EU’s fears.
The European Commission clearly states that, at least for now, Russia does not pose a threat to the EU, but that this is no guarantee for the future. Commission spokespersons have outlined how they intend to ensure Europe’s security with a roadmap prepared for the period up to 2030. The current annual budget stands at €392 billion. Although it is said that they will act in concert with NATO, concerns about the uncertainty surrounding the future of NATO, particularly from the US, are implicit in the statements.
Going one step further, it is possible to interpret that the EU now intends to go beyond its claim of being merely an economic union and transform into a Defence Community that could, if necessary, replace NATO. As a replica of NATO’s famous Article 5, an attack on one EU country is considered an attack on the entire EU, and a unified response is guaranteed. In this context, it has been emphasised that European defence begins in Ukraine.
The other big question is how this new approach will affect member states. Last week, France faced a major government crisis. Commentators suggested that, aside from the government crisis, a regime crisis was looming that could spell the end of the Fifth Republic. The Lecornu government, appointed by Macron as Prime Minister, became the fastest-resigning government in French history (18 hours). With no other refuge left, Macron reappointed himself. The far left, which rejected the far right’s motion of no confidence, and the far right, which rejected the far left’s motion of no confidence, have kept the government afloat for now. We do not know what will happen after the budget discussions next week.
However, when it comes to the European security expenditures mentioned above, the claim of being a welfare state is increasingly taking a back seat. To the extent that it fails to provide solutions to current problems, the left wing is weakening, while the far right is gaining more power in a political environment that prevails across Europe.
Let us turn our attention to the Far East. The greatest fear of the US and the EU is an alliance between Russia, India and China. In this context, Trump met with Indian Prime Minister Modi and declared that, in exchange for the mutual removal of additional customs duties, India would gradually phase out the oil it purchases from Russia, most of which it processes and sells to China. In response to this statement, the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs was quick to refute Trump.
It is currently unclear what will happen to oil, Russia’s largest source of income. As long as Russia continues to receive oil revenues, the continuation of the war in Ukraine is inevitable.
Speaking of India, it is clear from the statement made last week by European Commission President von der Leyen, ‘We must now be proactive on India!’, that the EU also intends to get involved in this context.
But what about our fears?
Will we continue to remain aligned with the US-Israel axis? Will we seek an exit route through the Russia-China axis (for some reason, the India factor has been ignored), as suggested by Mr Bahçeli? Based on what we could gather from the recent Brussels rally, will we shape our future according to Mr Özel’s statements about returning to the EU path?
Am I wrong to feel uncertain and fearful?
Hoping to meet again in fearless days…