Every transnational attempt, trap, operation, strategy and even doctrine that poses malicious intent and a direct threat to the national sovereignty of a state, the survival of a nation is a matter of “national security.” Until 10 years ago, such menacing attempts against the military, defense and intelligence fields were defined as matters of national security. Today, agri-food supplies and logistics, energy resources and their transmission, cybersecurity and various other fields have also become national security issues. Therefore, we are no longer talking about an area solely responsible for countries’ security, intelligence and diplomacy units.
All public units of states, cyber network stakeholders, organizations representing the real sector and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) working for the survival of their countries must also be an indispensable part of this “national security” struggle.
At the end of the 1990s and the beginning of the 2000s, when the Cold War and the bipolar global tensions ended, a deceptive impression that the threats and malicious attempts produced, managed and directed by transnational structures had come to an end emerged. However, it soon became clear that operations through terrorist organizations and proxy elements assigned by transnational structures would not stop; infiltration operations continued to deepen.
July 15, 2016, marked a pivotal moment for Türkiye’s national sovereignty and independence, underscoring the Turkish nation’s unity and resilience in the face of adversity. Today, just as Türkiye is under constant attack of disinformation operations carried out through global internet platforms and social media channels, Turkish people need to be vigilant against it. These traps target the fields of economy, trade, politics and security and are set up by transnational structures that are concerned about the effective role Türkiye plays in Europe, Asia and Africa. As the global economic-political system is restructured these days, the Turkish government and society should stand firm to eliminate such threats.
In particular, all organizations in the Turkish real sector should produce more projects and take more initiatives to strengthen the skills and capabilities related to strategic autonomy. While the entire international system is discussing the potential of World War III, Turkish society, with all its segments, should take inspiration from the comprehensive work carried out day and night by its security and intelligence forces and diplomats.
As the competition between global powerholders deepens and tensions between the Atlantic and Asia-Pacific rise, Turkey’s successful diplomacy skills will likely be needed more than ever in the name of settling the disputes between the Global South and the Global North.
