As an exceptional "role model" in the Middle East for its democracy, developmental and market economy standards, Türkiye has managed the high cost of the deepening instability in the region for over 50 years. Whether in the bipolar world of the Cold War or the multipolar era in the 21st century, we are witnessing the intensified focus from economic, political and military power centers in the Middle East. Unfortunately, this heightened interest and pursuit of dominance contribute to the uninterrupted instability in the region.
It is obvious that the Middle East, a term initially coined to describe the region geographically in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, made its most significant contribution to the world economy in terms of productivity, efficiency and international trade in historical data during the period of dominance of the Ottoman Empire. However, with the onset of the Oil Age during the Second Industrial Revolution, Western economies seeking to hasten industrialization and increase wealth turned their attention to initiating a phase of "oil colonialism," plunging the Middle East into a state of turmoil and instability that has persisted for over a century.
A primary cause of the Middle East's misfortune lies in the absence of development goals. If the region could establish peace and stability, creating an attractive investment climate, substantial advancements in various sectors could address the issue of dependence on oil. Unfortunately, the influential entities promoting stability in the region resist altering the Middle East's fate, which relies on income from oil. This reluctance persists because a change would hinder the region's production of the substantial amounts of oil and natural gas required by these influential entities, allowing for easier management of fossil-based energy prices.
Although the Middle Eastern countries knew they were in such a vortex, they established the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in September 1960 and threatened them with oil prices in the 1970s. They were not as successful as they wanted against the playmaking strength of the power centers. Over the last 50 years, the deepening instability also delayed the Middle East's focus on projects that can make a difference in the region, such as infrastructure and superstructure projects, logistics and trade centers. Special industrial zones, joint ports, railways and logistics network projects, which Türkiye has repeatedly tried to establish together with many Middle Eastern countries, are being blocked by "proxy wars," which have become the bitter reality of the region.
The essence of instability in the Middle East is that the region has never achieved the ability to determine its own destiny and its own future. Suppose this is achieved and economic, commercial and technological cooperation opportunities among the countries in the region increase and the region's dependence on fossil fuel income decreases. In that case, the dominance of the power centers in the Middle East will also weaken. Accordingly, it is necessary to change the fate of the region from being a geography focused on the export of raw materials with low added value to ensuring that the region becomes a geography that trades products and services with higher added value. Just calculate the tourism income the region has lost due to instability. For this reason, everyone's eyes are on Türkiye as the most effective playmaker country that will change the fate of the Middle East. We, in turn, will crush and destroy terrorism and fully realize this hope.
