Behind the aggression lies a crisis in the system

Political Collective

Today, the war waged by the United States against Iran alongside Israel is also bringing about a crisis within NATO. While Trump’s gamble in Iran is causing even his closest allies to hesitate, the war is not unfolding as the imperialist centre had intended. Even liberal circles are now compelled to admit that US aggression today reflects not a long-term strategic plan, but an overt crisis of the system itself. This aggression poses an increasing danger not only to the countries targeted, but also to pro-American states such as Turkey, whose governments have tied their fate to that of the United States.

One of the critical milestones in Turkey’s incorporation into the chain of dependency on imperialism was its accession to NATO in 1952. This marked one of the first steps in positioning Turkey as a forward outpost within the framework of America’s Cold War policies. The transformation of Turkey’s military structure in line with the American system, and the fascist reconfiguration of the state through counter-guerrilla organisations centred around the Special Warfare Department, began in this period.

In response to these steps towards the Americanisation of Turkey, an anti-imperialist line of struggle began to develop, initially led by youth and intellectuals. This struggle became the defining trajectory of the 1960s. While the army and security structures were shaped in alignment with the United States, counter-guerrilla forces were simultaneously organised in political and social spheres. The pro-American front was strengthened through organisations ranging from anti-communist associations to commando camps led by political Islamists. The anti-imperialist awakening that spread from students to workers, intellectuals, peasants, and even within the army was suppressed by these forces; and when this proved insufficient, it was attacked through the coups of 12 March and 12 September.

The groundwork for today’s near dismantling of the old Republic and Turkey’s drift towards Islamist fascism was also laid during this period. The 12 September coup, as the most radical pro-American intervention, ushered in an era in which market liberalisation deepened under Özal and religious communities gained strength, eventually leading to the rise of the AKP. Brought to power in line with the United States’ Greater Middle East Project, the AKP removed all obstacles to the unrestrained dominance of capital and implemented a reactionary transformation step by step. Today, by assuming new roles within America’s Middle East plans, it seeks to sustain a form of rule that can no longer be maintained under democratic conditions domestically.

One of the most significant consequences of this submission is Turkey’s positioning as a forward outpost within US hegemony in the Middle East. Trump’s remarks during the war on Iran, praising Turkey for “not getting involved where we didn’t want them to,” as well as NATO’s efforts to establish new international corps, are indicative of this. All of this clearly demonstrates that the struggle for freedom, democracy, and independence in the coming period must be waged against the country’s subordination to American imperialism by a collaborationist government. A renewed anti-imperialist and independence-oriented line will once again form a crucial component of this struggle.

At this point, it is also necessary to evaluate the long-standing tendencies within the opposition movement to evade anti-imperialist struggle.

The revolutionary movement in Turkey was built upon an anti-imperialist consciousness in the 1960s. While independence was its defining characteristic, the US response was not limited to counter-guerrilla warfare. Recently, documents have revealed American efforts to publish alternative materials aimed at undermining the influence of Doğan Avcıoğlu’s book Turkey’s Order. This alone demonstrates the various interventions undertaken to weaken the anti-imperialist revolutionary consciousness fostered by the movement.

Such interventions became more pronounced particularly after the collapse of real socialism. During this period, leftist opposition movements were detached from anti-imperialist struggle and their class foundations and redirected towards fragmented forms of identity-based micro-politics. This shift, emerging in the ideological confusion following socialism’s defeat, produced certain effects. At the same time, the United States and Western actors encouraged such tendencies through policies and extensive funding, deliberately contributing to the fragmentation of opposition movements.

Liberal currents that framed anti-imperialist struggle as outdated and archaic, even bordering on nationalism, gained prominence during this period. In such an environment, US interventions and occupations were presented under the guise of freedom and democracy. Similarly, claims that Turkey would democratise through the European Union—and that the AKP would be its vehicle—were promoted on the same ideological basis. Another breaking point in the left’s stance towards imperialism occurred through the Kurdish movement’s relations with the United States in the Middle East, particularly in Syria.

These developments caused significant damage to the intellectual foundations of anti-imperialist struggle based on class struggle. The weakening and fragmentation of the opposition were also rooted in this confusion.

At this stage, the liberal ideas proclaiming the end of imperialism have themselves reached their limits. US imperialism, in an effort to maintain its declining hegemony, is becoming increasingly aggressive and resorting to unrestrained forms of coercion. This, in turn, is fuelling military and economic fragmentation within the imperialist-capitalist bloc. Through the use of unregulated and unlimited force, the United States is attempting to incorporate these fragmented powers into its own mobilisation.

In contrast, the growing anger of the world’s peoples towards imperialism, personified in Trump, signals the dawn of a new anti-imperialist struggle. In Turkey, at a time when NATO meetings aligned with Trump’s war plans are being hosted and new NATO bases are being proposed, the ruling AKP and MHP seek their salvation in the hands of America and Trump. The task ahead is to intensify the struggle against this collaborationist government for freedom, democracy, and independence. Every step that deepens US and NATO presence in the country will become a call for unity and resistance.

Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Saldırganlığın ardında sistemin krizi var, published in BirGün newspaper on April 5, 2026.