Would Turkey Join The WW III If It Happens?

In this text, we will discuss whether Turkey will join a potential Third World War if it occurs. These days, we are witnessing the world on edge after several regional conflicts in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Even Russia has threatened NATO with the use of nuclear weapons, which would be a disaster for the world. World leaders have been giving interviews, highlighting the threat of a global war. As a result, in the near future, Turkey may find itself in the complicated and dangerous position of deciding whether to join the Third World War.

Given current tensions, we can discuss whether Turkey will join a potential Third World War under three main topics. The first is NATO obligations. As one of the strongest members of NATO, Turkey would be expected to join any conflict involving other member countries. Otherwise, it would be in violation of one of NATO’s key principles: member countries must defend one another if any of them are attacked from outside. Due to this obligation, Turkey may not be able to maintain its neutrality in the event of a Third World War.

The second topic is Turkey’s self-defense doctrine. Since the end of the War of Independence, Turkey has remained neutral in global conflicts because the country experienced a devastating war in its history. However, Turkey has since developed a strong military, including UAVs that allow it to defend itself and attack enemies without direct confrontation. Although the country still follows a neutral doctrine, Turkey will not stand idle if attacked from outside. Due to its important geopolitical position, Turkey will be a sought-after ally by any factions in a Third World War. However, because of its neutrality policy, one side might attack and occupy Turkey to gain control of the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles—possibly Russia, as we see today. Therefore, Turkey may not be able to maintain neutrality given these factors that push it toward involvement in the war.

The third and final point is whether Turkey can actually remain neutral. When World War II was nearing its end, Turkey joined the Allies because it wanted to be one of the founding members of the United Nations. Turkey didn’t want to be seen as a country that did nothing in the face of the Nazi threat. It was a sensible move. Looking at this example, we can imagine a similar scenario for a potential Third World War. If NATO expels Turkey due to its neutrality and Turkey establishes stable relations with the Russian and Chinese bloc, it might join one of the ‘winning’ sides near the end of the war to secure a say in the new world order.

In conclusion, these are my thoughts on what could happen if a Third World War breaks out and what Turkey’s actions might be. In addition to my opinions, I’d like to emphasize that, despite all these scenarios, Turkey should remain as neutral as possible because, even if we win the war, it would have devastating effects on our economy and sociopolitical structure. Therefore, we should follow the guidance of the founder of the Turkish Republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who said: ‘Peace at home, peace in the world,’ and ‘War is murder unless necessary.’