From Depression to Humanitarian Strategy: Changing the Understanding of the Geopolitical System

 Bu yazı 07/02/2023 tarihinde yayınlanmıştır.

 *Doç.Dr. Güray ALPAR / SDE Başkanı

When I saw that a column published this week started as "We who are educated in the world with law, the international system and the security of states, territorial integrity and discourses (Ismaylov, February 4, 2023)", I realized that we were actually trying to be part of a designed world system. It also affirmed that we are educated participants and promoters of a global game.

In our previous analysis, we had already focused on the fundamental mistakes in the creation of the current international system and revealed that, aside from the system's inability to solve the problems, it created new problems day by day, and we mentioned that there is a "systemic crisis" in this state.

In today's world, when even a few of the events taking place in the international arena are carefully evaluated, it is clear that the system is more prone to creating a crisis than a solution.

Starting from the support provided to terrorist organizations by states that seem big and claim to dominate the world; It has become almost normal that civilians, women and children are killed more often by air bombardments in conflicts than ever before, boats belonging to immigrants are sunk in front of the whole world in the seas, aid to prolong the conflicts instead of efforts to end the wars, and the main elements of the system such as the UN just bystanders to all these.

In such an environment, wouldn't it be expected that international organizations, especially the UN and its president, should take immediate action to detect and bring to justice those who sank boats with children, bombard civilians with planes, those who wage wars and sell weapons, and those who watch children die in starving regions?

Aside from the realization of these, we still continue to teach students the current international system and its theories in schools. When students are asked, we also see that the best known and taught is "theories". The media is still full of experts defending the system.

In fact, when you put the above-mentioned issues under the "national interest" term of the system, inhumanely unacceptable events can almost become justified. However, the work has reached such a stage that it is no longer possible for this unacceptable situation to continue any longer. The current system has divided the world into developed countries, developing countries, less developed countries classifications. Now, irreparable imbalances have been created not only within certain continents and certain countries, but also within the developed countries themselves.

It is not possible to describe such a picture and the system that caused it as successful. This crisis is the result of fictional mistakes and not including people in the system but based on the welfare and happiness of a certain number of people or families. As long as this mistake continues, it is not possible for any other result to come out.

In the depression of 1929, there was a belief that people would regain their former status, at least in a short time. Such an expectation does not seem possible now. The solution, on the other hand, seems to be a more equitable distribution of resources based on the welfare of all humanity, with the human being at the center in the new fiction.

The so-called modern international system was founded on the denial of truths (Gue, 2005: 173). The concept of globalization, on the other hand, was perceived as a world shrinking with the "compression of time and space". However, it would soon be understood that it was not the world that contracted and squeezed. In fact, it was the international system that got stuck. It is seen that the international system has entered into a great squeeze like never before. Moreover, when people have difficulty in adapting to the new situations they encounter, they become more sensitive to external influences (Hoffler, 2007: 4).

If no action is taken, this could turn into a great disaster for humanity. Freedom without foresight remains without object, and without consciousness of values, movement remains unconscious (Wein,2019:94). As such, the system is in a crisis. It is also difficult to detect a systemic crisis by the system itself or by someone in the system, and to restore it with minor corrections.

The fact that the system based on the relationship of deterrence, threat, power and interests, which was applied during the Cold War Period, was tried to be applied exactly as if nothing had changed after the collapse of the Soviet Union, causing problems all over the world. In such a selfish environment, human values ​​have been estranged, the environment has been polluted for the sake of the welfare of a few, humanity; condemned to hunger, migration, blood, and tears, and was left helpless even in the face of a small virus epidemic.

Only 5 countries have veto power in the system. Most of the problems originate from these 5 countries. The illusion of absolute strength is an attempt to push one's limits. While trying to reach absolute power, a person loses his connection with other people. This is what is happening in the world today. It is known that France is behind many problems in Africa. It was France that launched the first attacks on Libya and supported Haftar's forces. The USA is already after the cold war period; It was in areas such as Africa, Latin America, Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. Russia wants to maintain its influence in the Soviet geography, especially in Georgia and Ukraine.

However, among the countries with veto power, there is not a single Muslim country with a population of nearly 2 billion. There is no one representing Africa or Latin America. In fact, India, whose population will exceed China in 2023, is not here. The concept of hegemony in the international system is used to mean the power that determines the functioning of this system and applies the control, pressure, persuasion, and control mechanisms to other international actors. The world is changing, times are changing, everything is changing, but within this change, the concept of hegemony and its actors still insist on staying.

In some advertisements in the media, we can see an incentive that would never be possible in reality, such as "earning while spending". In systems built on liberation by consuming or being happy as long as they consume, a person first starts consuming commodities, then those around him, and finally himself when he cannot find anything to consume. The system naturally goes into crisis in environments where consumption is curtailed, and social explosions occur. In overcoming difficulties, supporting these characteristics with solid values ​​is as important as raising a generation that is self-confident, enterprising and smart, in terms of creating a healthy society.

It is obligatory to reconsider the concepts constructed by the system. Value: our beliefs about what is good and what is bad (Bilgin, 2003:80). In the new system to be created, it is necessary to determine the values ​​well. At this point, it seems necessary to re-create the strategic concepts produced within the framework of "Human Strategy (Strategy involving people)". When the concept of humanitarian strategy is searched on the internet, such a term is not very common, because it is completely outside the scope of the current system that aims at the wealth of a small minority.

This established system has already lost its ability to distinguish good from bad, right from wrong, while the concept of liberalization and globalization made a few happy, it did not make any contribution to the majority. In societies where values ​​such as cooperation, solidarity and compassion are destroyed; lost themselves among the crowds, scattered, isolated, these masses have nothing left in their hands anymore.

The current system falls short of protecting the civilian population and women and children. The structure that will protect it from the effects of threats such as war, disease and violence has not been based on solid principles. This must be ensured, besides; measures should be taken to prevent the use of biological, chemical and nuclear weapons by states as well as terrorist organizations and organized crime organizations, and the measures should cover crimes against humanity as well as transnational crimes.

According to the "Human Development Report" published by the United Nations (UN) in 1994, human security; It was described as “a child kept alive, a disease that does not spread, an ethnic tension that does not explode, an unoppressed human spirit”.

The Liberal Concept of Security, on the other hand, promised that with the spread of liberalism, conflicts would decrease as interdependence would increase. Unfortunately, current security systems are far from achieving these.

However, if a humane security architecture could be established, our world would be in a different situation today and in cooperation; In addition to environmental and health problems, a more effective security could be achieved by tackling problems such as transnational criminal organizations, migration, and poverty. In this sense, it would be beneficial to replace at least some values ​​that cause crises and problems with more robust and just values ​​that put people at the center and have depth, and internalize this.

References:

Alpar, Güray. (31 Ocak 2023). “Günümüz Dünyasında Yaşanan Sistemsel Bunalımın Analizi”, www.sde.org.tr

Bilgin, Nuri. (2003). Sosyal Psikoloji Sözlüğü: Kavramlar Yaklaşımlar, Bağlam Yayınları, İstanbul.

Birleşmiş Milletler (BM, (1994). “İnsani Kalkınma Raporu”.

Gue, Rene. (2005). Modern Dünyanın Bunalımı, Çev. Mahmut Kanık, Ankara: Hece Yayınları.

Hoffman, Stanley. (2002). Küreselleşmeler Çatışması, Foreign Affairs, Cilt 81, No:4.

İsmayılov, Nuriyeva Sevil. 4 Şubat 2023. İran’ın Fişi mi Çekiliyor? www.star.com.tr.

Wein, Herman. (2019). Felsefi Antropoloji, Çev. İsmail Tunalı, İstanbul: Ayrıntı Yayınları.