“Turkey’s Future at a Crossroads”: Change is possible through united struggle

Hosted by the Foundation for Social Research, Culture and Arts (TAKSAV) and featuring BirGün writers Oğuzhan Müftüoğlu and Bülent Forta as speakers, the discussion entitled ‘Turkey's Future at a Crossroads’ was held at the Maltepe Yılmaz Mızrak Cultural Centre.

In his opening remarks, Oğuzhan Müftüoğlu emphasised that it is important to remember that the AKP came to power in Turkey with the support of imperialism and has undergone various stages to reach its current structure. Müftüoğlu stated that during this process, the parliamentary opposition failed to put up sufficient resistance at critical junctures, but that a strong social opposition has emerged at the current stage.

Müftüoğlu stated that women and young people harbour great potential for opposition, but despite this, these groups appear fragmented and scattered, far from being a unified political force. Müftüoğlu stressed that real and fundamental change would be possible if social struggles in different areas were conducted along a united front.

Drawing attention to the Kurdish issue as one of Turkey's most fundamental problems, Müftüoğlu said that this issue cannot be addressed separately from the country's democratisation process. Stating that this issue cannot be permanently resolved by associating with imperialism and walking hand in hand with the government, Müftüoğlu said that establishing a critical solidarity relationship with the Kurdish movement is important for the common future of the peoples of Turkey.

Müftüoğlu also shared his views on how it would be possible to break away from the political Islamist order, stating that a simple change of power would not be sufficient against a force that has transformed and taken over all levels of the state. Müftüoğlu stated that the idea of ‘let him go, let this one come’ was not a solution, and that change could only be possible through an organised popular movement united around social demands.

ANTI-IMPERIALISM EMPHASIS

Bülent Forta began his speech by referring to imperialism. Recalling that liberals once widely defended the idea that imperialism had disappeared with the discourse of globalisation, Forta said that today, looking at Latin America, the existence of imperialism is clearly visible. He emphasised that revolutionary politics cannot be pursued without fighting against imperialism.

Recalling that political Islamists were brought to power in Türkiye by imperialism and that this process was supported by liberals, Forta stressed that the struggle waged by revolutionaries against these policies has played an important role in strengthening the opposition to the AKP today.

Stating that the struggle against the AKP and the defeat of this government is currently the primary task, Forta said that this should not be trivialised. Noting that the understanding that ‘what matters is the struggle for socialism, the rest are secondary issues’ today means the opposite, ‘insufficient but yes-ism,’ Forta said that a sterile understanding of struggle that excludes current political issues is an escape from revolutionary responsibility. Forta also recalled that in the 1970s, the struggle against fascism was labelled ‘Gauchism’ and pushed into the background.

Noting that young people, women, pensioners and workers have great potential for social opposition, Forta said that this potential has not yet been united around a political change programme. Forta said that when change is imminent, whoever leads the change will also determine the boundaries of the new era, emphasising that creating an organised popular movement and increasing the power of the left and revolutionaries is a fundamental revolutionary task.

Forta stated that this struggle for change must be shouldered by revolutionaries, drawing attention to the necessity of forming a united force by learning from past experiences.

Note: This article is translated from the original article titled TAKSAV’dan “Yol Ayrımındaki Türkiye’nin Geleceği” Söyleşisi: Değişim birleşik mücadeleyle mümkün, published in BirGün newspaper on January 11, 2026.