Ataturk's Vision for the Middle East and Türkiye Republic

As a special topic, I want to discuss Atatürk’s vision for the Middle East and Turkey. His dream for the Turkish Republic was realized through tremendous effort and determination. The Ottoman Empire had left a legacy of successive wars and harsh treaties that devastated Anatolia and the Middle East in the early 20th century. The empire ultimately collapsed, retreating to central Anatolia, and even its capital was occupied by the British. Few saw hope for liberation—except Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Believing in the spirit of resistance, he led the Turkish War of Independence, and through great sacrifices, the Turkish National Movement reclaimed borders as defined in the Misak-ı Milli (“National Pact”). After establishing the republic, Atatürk set about reforming education, building industry, and restructuring the Turkish Army, effectively rebuilding Turkey from its ashes.

While he accomplished much of his vision for Turkey, there are still aspects of his dream that remain to be fulfilled. Atatürk established the Republic on a foundation of secularism and a unified national identity. Secularism allowed citizens freedom of religion, with the state neutral and granting no privilege to any faith or ethnicity. This framework promoted equality and unity, fostering a national identity that transcended ethnic divisions and brought stability to the eastern regions of Turkey.

Atatürk also modernized education and the economy, urging Turkey to emulate the practices of advanced nations. He encouraged us to pursue scientific and economic models that aligned with modern needs, and famously said, “If one day my words contradict science, choose science.” His commitment to progress was demonstrated by his welcoming of scientists fleeing Nazi Germany, who contributed to Turkey’s education system and helped establish leading faculties at institutions like Istanbul University. To improve literacy, Atatürk founded Village Institutes to educate the rural population, raising literacy rates across Turkey. Despite these achievements, there is still work to be done to create a more prosperous country and a more modern educational system.

Since its founding, Turkey has served as a model for Middle Eastern countries striving for independence, including Pakistan and Afghanistan. Although these nations sought to build modern, democratic states, many struggled to realize this dream. Atatürk’s vision for the Middle East was one of stability and prosperity, just as he envisioned for Turkey. He hoped Turkey would act as a stabilizing force and model of peace in the region. When World War II loomed, Atatürk created the Sadabad Pact to promote regional peace, strengthening alliances to protect Turkey and the Middle East from conflict.

Today, Turkey still strives to uphold Atatürk’s vision of peace and stability in the Middle East. Despite regional tensions, Turkey maintains a policy of defense rather than aggression, supporting solutions like the two-state approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Atatürk would likely support these efforts to avoid further bloodshed and seek balanced, peaceful solutions.

In conclusion, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk envisioned a peaceful, prosperous, and modern Turkish Republic and Middle East. He avoided aggressive expansion and backward-looking policies, instead encouraging openness to new ideas and approaches that would enable Turkey to match the standards of modern, industrialized nations. What do you think? Do we still need to strive for Atatürk’s vision, or are we on the right path?