Western civilization has never had a good dream for humanity since the day it was founded. When a culture is rooted in colonialism, illicit money and usurping the rights of others, the incitement of such ill-gotten money always follows it.

Indonesian philosopher Seyyed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas, one of the most influential representatives of contemporary Islamic thought, made a striking statement in a lecture he gave many years ago when discussing the relationship between the West, science and technology: "Western people were thirsty and drank sea water when they were thirsty. The more they drank seawater, the more they heightened their thirst, and they drank more and more. And this has now led to salinization."

The Western powers that colonized the Far East, Asia and African countries in the founding age of civilization, on the one hand, kept their people living in prosperity, and on the other hand, planned the misery of the remaining nations.

Today, African nations are gradually liberating themselves from the vestiges of colonialism. Following the conclusion of the Cold War, Russia is incrementally reasserting its national state identity. China has commenced assuming a substantial role in international competition and geopolitics, notably through its production economy, which serves the global demand with its domestic needs.

Türkiye was not meant to be confined to a predetermined destiny, akin to African states or countries in the Far East and Asia. Just as the colonial empire dictated destinies for various nations, it also envisioned one for Türkiye. As a nation-state, Türkiye contends with internal challenges, including the secularism vs. religionism debate, terrorism, the Kurdish issue or the Alevi-Sunni conflict, and the Türkiye they planned would never be able to open its eyes to the outside world.

The colonial powers raised an intellectual class and a ruling class for this small Türkiye they envisioned. Today, when we look at the pro-Western or pro-NATO intellectuals, we see that they have no formation nor motivation other than scratching internal issues and deepening internal problems in Türkiye.

Decade of terrorism threats, political challenges

In 2010, strained relations between Türkiye and the United States, and the realization that the alliances were not working, woke up a sleeping giant. It is unfortunate that when Türkiye started to implement its policies, the PKK, which had already been dealing with our country for 40 years, suddenly attempted regional occupation with the "pit actions," let alone carrying out terrorist activities. At the same time, Daesh, which is a joint organization of the United Kingdom and the U.S., immediately identified Türkiye as an enemy and attacked. As if that was not enough, the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) attempted to stage a coup in the country.

Reading all these threats correctly, the Turkish state, with its historical background, its acquis and its strong army, decided to meet the terrorist threats in territories outside the country. Türkiye's direct interlocutor was the U.S. or the Russian Federation, both in Iraq and Syria.

Türkiye was the first to fight Daesh, the most absurd terrorist organization in history and an American lie. If Türkiye's then international relations had been influential, even exposing this Daesh lie alone would have put Türkiye in a very justified position globally. While the Turkish army was fighting Daesh, the Western media was reporting that the Turks were helping them. Türkiye, at the triangulation point of today's global equations, has never turned back from the path it set out on.

Turkish resilience

When we look at the history of the Turks, we see that from Central Asia, they marched step by step toward the West and made Anatolia their homeland. Turks, one of the best warrior nations in history with an excellent grasp of strategy on the planet, also have the tradition of establishing and sustaining states. In this context, the martyrdom of our soldiers in the fight against terrorist organizations has shocked the country for a while. These attempts might be orchestrated by the global powers through their proxy instruments to divert Türkiye from its established course.

However, neither President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan nor the security forces intend to step back on this issue. Let alone backing down in such crises, Türkiye aims to extend its influence and power, exerting increased pressure on its adversaries and the entities supporting them.

The world is gradually evolving into a multipolar one. The Cold War era and the period when the U.S. was the only guardian in the world is over. The Ukrainian War, fully supported by Western hegemony against Russia, seems to have resulted in the defeat of the West, one way or another.

In Israel's aggression against a handful of Palestinians, Israeli troops have been defeated on the ground by Hamas. Western states are no longer capable of declaring any group as terrorist and liquidating it.

All over the globe, it is now questioned who the real terrorists are, whether the ones that the U.S. and Israel declare as terrorists, or Washington and Israel themselves.

The West, which does not believe in justice, law, human rights or any other value, has no value left, which has been sucking the blood of the universe since the day of its establishment, killing Africans and Asians and leaving all nations poor, will no longer be able to maintain this empire.

When it comes to Türkiye, Türkiye will expand its influence, grow its economy and strengthen its army. Especially with President Erdoğan's initiatives, the West's technological monopoly over Türkiye has been left behind. The Turkish defense industry has become self-sufficient and can compete with even the most developed countries.

Throughout history, Turks have gone on great expeditions and never gave up. The 'Century of Türkiye' is not only a contraction but a campaign of expansion, influence and assertion of power. Türkiye will not give up on this campaign.