Turkey between two fronts: Imperialism transfers its burden to pacts

The global system built under the dominance of American imperialism after the Second World War is facing its greatest challenge since its establishment in the 1950s due to the shifting power balances between the US and China. As the West's rules-based order, which has been characterised by its double standards for decades, comes to an end, US President Donald Trump, who no longer feels the need to hide this hypocrisy, is rebuilding American hegemony with old-fashioned Western imperialism.

With the Trump administration's new national security strategy, the US is focusing on the Western Hemisphere whilst leaving the responsibility in other regions to "local partners," with itself still at the centre.

This approach reveals a picture in which some old alliances are burdened with new tasks, and some new regional partnerships are established, ranging from increasing Europe's burden in the NATO to AUKUS in the Asia-Pacific, and from the "Shield of the Americas" in the Western Hemisphere to new defence agreements in the Middle East.

AN END TO GLOBAL POLICING

The "National Security Strategy Document" (NSS) published by the Trump administration in November 2025 became the official declaration of the end of the understanding of "global leadership" and "guardianship of the liberal order," which has dominated American foreign policy since the Cold War.

One of the most striking sections of the document is the geographical shift in the foreign policy priorities of the US. Whilst the strategy document emphasised that the "endless wars" and "nation-building" projects in the Middle East and Europe had depleted the resources of the US, it was declared that the Monroe Doctrine had been reinstated with the "Trump Corollary".

The Middle East, which sits at the centre of the US's particularly Israel-centric foreign policy, has been removed from its status as a vital priority in the new strategy. Whilst it was declared that the US's dependence on the region has ended, having established its energy independence, primarily through Saudi oil, Washington—although not withdrawing entirely from the region—has adopted the strategy of "transferring the burden to regional countries" by reducing its military presence in the region to a minimum.

The document states that regional peace will be achieved not through "nation-building" or the "export of democracy," but through economic partnerships and Israeli-Arab normalisation, primarily the Abraham Accords.

THE MECCA PACT: WHO WILL IT DEFEND?

The most current step of this approach by the US was the "Mecca Joint Defence Agreement" signed by Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan in Mecca. The most striking aspect of this agreement, which carries the risk of dragging Turkey into wars in the Middle East and South Asia, is that, similar to Article 5 of NATO, "any armed attack against any of the three states is considered an attack against them all."

Although the concrete obligations in the agreement, made in the shadow of the Iran war, have not yet been disclosed to the public, Saudi Arabia being targeted by the Houthis in Yemen two days after the signatures were cast brought the risk of bringing Turkey face to face with Iran, and even with India, onto the agenda.

Although Tehran argues that they are not concerned about the Mecca Agreement, but on the contrary, this partnership is an "indicator of the changing perception towards the US," the reality might be somewhat different from this.

Iran's refusal to surrender in the face of the US and Israel, the global impacts of the Strait of Hormuz, and the increasing pressure of the Houthis in the Red Sea call into question for whose benefit the "joint defence" and "deterrence" principles of a military alliance established in such a period in the Middle East—where the US, which always places Israel's security at the centre, plans to reduce its military power—are founded.

RIYADH'S MULTINATIONAL FORCE

Furthermore, the "Multinational Maritime Defence Alliance", signed under the leadership of Saudi Arabia on 30 July 2026, also draws attention. The structure, signed by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, Pakistan, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Sudan, Djibouti, Somalia, Yemen, Bangladesh, and Nigeria, aims to protect sea lanes in the Red Sea, Bab-el-Mandeb, and the Strait of Hormuz.

TRANSFERRING NATO'S BURDEN TO EUROPE

The Trump administration, meanwhile, is imposing that Europe "assumes primary responsibility for its own conventional defence" within NATO, which has existed since 1949. Whilst raising the defence spending target for NATO allies from the previous 2% to 5%, Europe and Canada are in an increasingly accelerating arms race. Whilst the US provides nuclear deterrence and limited support, Europe is encouraged to increase its defence spending, take the lead in Ukraine, and shift the weight in operational commands to Europe.

TURKEY BETWEEN TWO FRONTS

With the US's desire to withdraw from European security on top of the Ukraine War that intensifies with each passing day, Turkey is being given new tasks on the eastern flank of NATO in addition to its alliances in the Middle East. Whilst the government, which portrays an image of consenting to all these tasks, abandons its initially balanced stance in the Ukraine War that has left its fourth year behind, the risk of confronting Russia on the Black Sea front is also increasing.

THE ALLIANCE IN THE BACKYARD GROWS

The "Shield of the Americas" alliance, declared by the Trump administration in Miami on 7 March 2026 within the framework of the "Trump amendment" in addition to the Monroe Doctrine, focuses directly on Latin America, which it wants to turn into its "backyard" once again. As right-wing leaders close to Trump's ideological line come to power one after another on the continent, the military and political alliance joined by Argentina, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, and finally Colombia, envisages intelligence sharing, joint operations, and military coordination in the fight against drug cartels, transnational criminal organisations, and migration.

Whilst it is aimed for "regional champions" such as Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who rules the country with an iron fist by building "mega prisons," to ensure stability, there is a promise of support from the US, including the use of "lethal force."

ALIGNING AGAINST CHINA

In the background of the strategy lies the increasing influence of China, which has become the greatest threat to American hegemony, in the region. The NSS document defines preventing "foreign powers," primarily China, from deploying forces, controlling strategic assets, or seizing critical infrastructure in the Western Hemisphere as its fundamental objective. Shifting production to the region, protecting supply chains and critical infrastructure from Chinese influence, and aligning governments against China through trade and security partnerships are encouraged.

NEW MISSIONS IN THE PACIFIC: AUKUS, QUAD AND PAX SILICA

The US's struggle for hegemony in the Asia-Pacific, China's domain of sovereignty, is intensifying on military, technological, and political axes.

The "San Francisco System", the US-centric security network structure formed in the Asia-Pacific region following the 1951 San Francisco Peace Treaty signed with Japan after the Second World War, from which it takes its name, is being updated due to the rise of China.

AUKUS, established in 2021 by the US, Australia, and the United Kingdom, aims to strengthen deterrence against China in the Indo-Pacific. As China expands its military inventory day by day, the first pillar of AUKUS, which is shifting into a higher gear, consists of the procurement of nuclear-powered submarines to Australia and the construction of the related infrastructure through projects worth tens of billions of dollars.

However, stepping beyond this framework, the structure has become the symbol of the restructuring of the security order in the Indo-Pacific, which is based on long-term competition with China. Japan, which has shed its passive identity post-Second World War and is increasingly arming itself, has also become a partner of AUKUS in the field of military technology.

The second pillar of AUKUS is formed by "advanced capabilities" such as quantum, hypersonics, artificial intelligence, cyber, and uncrewed underwater vehicles. South Korea, Canada, and New Zealand are also being considered as potential partners.

THE QUADRILATERAL ALLIANCE

The "Quadrilateral Security Dialogue" (QUAD), established by the US, Australia, Japan, and India, continues as a more diplomatic security dialogue. The structure, which was established in 2007 and revived as a "quadrilateral alliance" in 2017, is increasing coordination in maritime security, critical minerals, energy security, and infrastructure projects. In the foreign ministers' meetings in 2026, steps such as the critical minerals framework and Indian Ocean surveillance were taken. Against the rise of China, it is also deepening economic and technological cooperation with the rhetoric of a "free and open Indo-Pacific."

THE TECHNOLOGY FRONT

"Pax Silica" forms the technology front of the struggle for hegemony. The initiative, launched under the leadership of the US in December 2025, aims to secure supply chains for artificial intelligence, semiconductor chips, critical minerals, energy inputs, advanced manufacturing, and logistics amongst "trusted partners." Whilst countries such as the US, Japan, South Korea, Australia, the UK, Singapore, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates are amongst the first signatories, the number of members reached 24 in 2026. It carries the claim of building a "trusted ecosystem" against China's dominance in rare earth elements and chip production.

Note: This article is translated from the original article titled Emperyalizm yükünü paktlara devrediyor, published in BirGün newspaper on August 11, 2026.