The West Needs a New Villain—Is Türkiye Next?

As Türkiye carves out an independent foreign policy and expands its military and regional influence, Western strategic circles are increasingly casting Ankara as the next geopolitical challenger—proving that in international politics, today’s ally can quickly become tomorrow’s rival.

For decades, the West, in particular the US, has intervened globally to allegedly reshape societies and impose its version of a governance model in foreign territories. However, usually (and especially in the Middle East), every US intervention can be traced back to Israeli pressure. Even now, Türkiye’s sudden reputation as a rival to the West comes from Israel’s lobbying – since any rival of Israel is a rival of the West. Efforts undermining Türkiye’s positive role in the region have already started.

Why Does Türkiye Make the West Uneasy?

Earlier this month, Steven A. Cook, a columnist at Foreign Policy, wrote an article titled “The Hypocrisy That Shields Erdoğan from Global Criticism,” which is a great indicator of what the new narrative surrounding Türkiye will be. After giving a lecture on democracy and human rights, Cook stated, “What is shocking is the silence of the key leaders in the United States and abroad, including political figures who tend to centre democratic values and human rights in the West’s approach to the world, and yet have said nary a word about Ankara’s dreadful record. How dreadful? If Türkiye wanted to become a member of NATO now instead of in 1952, it would not meet the criteria on democracy, rule of law, and human rights.” He further elaborated that it is not only President Trump but also leading Democrats, who are now compromising with Türkiye in both the US and Europe.

However, while criticising the West’s double standards and Türkiye’s undemocratic practices, Cook mentioned, “As one congressional staffer whose boss is interested in Türkiye relayed, ‘Everyone up here just wants to........

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