When the dates showed December 26, 1991, the global power Soviet Union, which occupied world politics for almost 70 years, disappeared from the stage of history. The republics that gained their independence one after another emerged as new countries, some with internal, external or border conflicts that resulted in bloody wars, and some with peaceful demonstrations. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, a brand new geopolitical picture emerged in the countries directly associated with the communism system in Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Black Sea, the Baltic Countries and Eastern Europe, and indirectly in the Balkans, the Far East, partially the Middle East, Africa and many other parts of the world. With this collapse, the Soviet people moved from trade that was completely under state control to a system that paved the way for individual initiative, but that they were not very familiar with, that is, capitalism. During this period of many painful years, while countries were trying to determine their own destiny, they basically preferred to move away from Moscow, the flagship of the Soviet Union.
However, after the last decade, the importance of energy, Russia’s enrichment due to the increase in oil/gas prices, and its former military power suddenly changed the process. Having adapted to the global system, Russia began to seek ways of collective cooperation again with its old friends with whom it has cultural and historical ties. The Eurasian Union, which was established mainly with the intense participation of CIS countries, was one of the most important results of this. In this context, serious problems occurred with many countries in the USSR, which got closer to the West and preferred to take part in the Western bloc, resulting in severe crises and even wars. During the process, internal turmoil, revolutions, wars and sharp changes took place in almost all former Soviet countries, with or without the involvement of Russia or NATO-oriented Western powers. While some countries were able to protect their lands, others had to face these processes with the emergence of small republics, large and small, that emerged from within themselves and were basically recognized only by Russia. The Karabakh War between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which was only resolved in 2020, revolutions in Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan, post-election demonstrations in Belarus, internal turmoil in Kazakhstan, border conflicts in Tajikistan, Transnistria in Moldova, Georgia Abkhazia and Ossetia and finally the Crimea issue in Ukraine and the subsequent recognition of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republic by Russia emerged as a reflection of the war of influence on the field between NATO-centered Western countries and Russia. The Russia-Ukraine tension, which is witnessing a different development at every moment, continues with the entry of the Russian army into these micro republics whose independence has been recognized. I hope that the deadlock between these friendly countries, which are our neighbors in the Black Sea and with which we have many historical, cultural, economic and tourism ties, will be moved to a positive point on the axis of common sense.
Considering that the West is a warmonger, especially through all communication channels, the possibility of the issue turning from a regional one into a global war should never be forgotten. Small, ignored sparks throughout history have turned into unstoppable fires, and the most important example of this is the First World War, which broke out with the assassination of the Austrian-Hungarian crown prince and his wife in Sarajevo, which resulted in the death or loss of nearly 20 million people. Our basic principle should be to be moderate, to act with common sense, to care about countries’ concerns about global threats, to respect the independence lines of each country, and to focus on building the future together on the axis of people-oriented and peace. Otherwise, let’s not forget that this relentless conflict will not benefit anyone and may reach an undesirable stage that may result in global destruction. It is essential that all players, large or small, involved in the crisis take this possibility into consideration. As Cicero said, “the worst peace is better than the most just war.”
Kind regards,
