Postmodern banditry

The attack on Venezuela once again laid bare a fact: the Western world, the Atlantic world, has completely abandoned its founding principles. With this attack, the death of a liberalism that has long been on life support is effectively being declared. Western civilization was built on principles such as the protection of life and property, security of trade, and the inviolability of domicile, principles born of the British, American, and French revolutions. Yet today we see a head of state being abducted, merchant ships being seized like pirate vessels, or attempts to confiscate Russian assets held in Western banks. What we are living through is postmodern banditry. We have reached a point where even the liberal principles of the capitalist–imperialist system are openly disregarded.

In the face of this, the need for a new world order is now unmistakably clear. Unless genuine multipolarity is established, the Atlantic front will continue down the path of banditry.

We also see this banditry being dressed up with excuses like “There was no democracy in Venezuela,” or, as some now claim with regard to Iran, “Lack of freedoms” or “economic problems”. These are all bullshit. The US pursues the same goal in Venezuela and Iran: to bring these countries, and their regions, under full imperialist control.

An attack on Ankara, Tehran, Beijing, Moscow, and Damascus too

The US attack was not directed solely at Venezuela. Through this move, Washington sent messages to Russia, China, Iran, Türkiye, and Damascus. It was a warning to countries that stand in the way of the US’s plans. In that sense, the attack on Maduro is an attack on Ankara, Tehran, Beijing, Moscow, and Damascus as well. Likewise, an assault on Venezuela’s sovereignty is an assault on the sovereignty of all these countries. Therefore, the response to the attack on Venezuela is not merely about defending Venezuela, it is also about asserting these countries’ determination to defend themselves.

What it means to Türkiye?

From Türkiye’s perspective, this attack must be considered together with the US presence in the Eastern Mediterranean and in Syria. In this context, the attack on Maduro amounts to support for the SDF, it is support for separatist forces within and around Türkiye. It emboldens the Greek Cypriot Administration of Southern Cyprus and Greece against Türkiye. It sends Israel the message: “Carry on with the genocide, we’ve got your back.”

There are two camps in the world today. On one side stand the Oppressed and Developing Countries, the Eurasian front; on the other, the Atlantic front, made up of a few imperialist states. Developments in Venezuela, Iran, Taiwan, Syria, and Ukraine occur in the context of this global confrontation, thus all interconnected.

Erdoğan’s silence and the government’s new path

President Erdoğan’s failure to utter a single word about the attack on Maduro is, from Türkiye’s standpoint, a serious sign of serious fragility. As Erdoğan and government officials themselves have acknowledged, Maduro was among the first leaders to express support for Türkiye during the July 15, 2016, coup attempt. Remaining silent when Maduro is attacked today amounts to disloyalty. Silence means endorsement.

Moreover, the problem is not limited to disloyalty alone. This silence amounts to supporting US aggression and is an open invitation to possible attacks on Türkiye itself.

Erdoğan’s silence also points to the new strategic path Türkiye has taken. The “Trump route” in the South Caucasus, the “Trump peace” in Gaza, the “Trump initiative” in Syria… In all of these, Türkiye has embarked on a new course that sidelines Eurasian powers and is positioned in the US’s strategy, and, objectively, with Israel’s interests. This path isolates Türkiye on the one hand, while on the other it consolidates US–Israeli power in the region. Having chosen this course, Türkiye cannot even dare to say a single word on Venezuela. The Turkish government has sunk to the point of having the president’s chief adviser delete a social media post condemning the attack on Maduro.

All of this reveals something more about the Erdoğan government: the AK Party government is no longer capable of meeting Türkiye’s needs and the challenges on its own. Consequently, it is no longer in a position to govern Türkiye alone.

“Don’t forget July 15, 2016”

The key lesson Türkiye must draw from this is the necessity of breaking its dependence on the West, from the economy to defense systems and intelligence, and other components of national defence in accordance with its possible and actual ally and friendly countries. Those who abducted President Maduro today could attempt the same against us or our immediate neighbors tomorrow. In fact, don’t forget that the US made such an attempt in Türkiye during the July 15, 2016 coup attempt. In response to the resistance Türkiye may show today in Syria and the Eastern Mediterranean, they could once again resort to these methods.

I should also note that by positioning itself within US policies that I have summarized as “Trump route in the South Caucasus, Trump peace in Gaza, and Trump initiative in Syria”, by taking part in overthrowing Bashar al-Assad, the Turkish government may well have whetted the appetite of the Trump administration, which had been inclined to withdraw from the region, and perhaps even pushed it to reconsider that withdrawal. If we don’t war, if we want to prevent war, then we must build an economic, political, and military counterweight in the face of aggression and the threat of war.

“If you do not get along with Israel, you will not survive”

I believe the dimension of the attack on Venezuela that concerns Damascus is particularly significant. At present, the US is blocking the integration of the separatist terrorist organization, the SDF, into the Damascus government. The attack on Venezuela is a message directed at the objections and reactions shown by the Turkish and Syrian governments on this issue. (Whether those reactions are sufficient is a separate debate.) In recent days, the US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said, “Ahmed al-Sharaa understands that the path to his survival and any stability in Syria is to be able to make peace with Israel.” Read in reverse, this means: “If you do not get along with Israel, you will not survive”.

In the face of these threats, the only viable course of action is to create a counterweight capable of balancing US aggression. Power can only be countered with power, not by words or goodwill. This counterweight has two pillars: first, the internal dynamics within the countries targeted by US aggression; second, international solidarity and alliances to be built among these countries. From the Eastern Mediterranean to Syria, from Taiwan to Ukraine, and from South America to Africa, it is essential to develop forms of cooperations and alliances, with accurate strategies and tactics, that can thwart Atlantic plans.

Backlash from global public and reactions within the US

There is no reason for fear. The Atlantic front isn’t an invincible force. Although it may have staged a show of strength today, a new world is taking shape economically, militarily, and politically, and the Atlantic is losing its dominance. As it does, internal fractures are deepening, both within the US and between the US and the EU.

These attacks are not only met with backlash from global public opinion and from Oppressed and Developing Countries; they are also facing serious reactions within the US itself. Even Trump’s own supporters, those who champion MAGA, are accusing him of betrayal. I am not referring to marginal figures, these are members of the House of Representatives and leading MAGA ideologues. They claim “Trump has become like Obama, Hillary and Biden-like”

Revitalizing the Bolivarian and Chavismo tradition

Finally, the attack on Venezuela and the abduction of Maduro do not mean that the Venezuelan state has collapsed or fallen entirely into the US’s hands. We will see Venezuela continue to defend itself and its sovereignty. Abducting Maduro may appear as a victory for the US, but just as others have stepped forward, and the struggle has continued after figures like Nasrallah, Haniyeh, and Sinwar were martyred, the same will happen in Venezuela, and in other countries around the world.

In Venezuela, a Bolivarian and Chavista tradition exists both within the state and among the people, and it remains firmly in place. What matters here is revitalizing this tradition and strengthening the unity between the state and the people.

The strategy to prevent larger wars

Even if we may not be witnessing direct wars between states today, wars are being carried out across the world through various forces and through the imperialists’ proxies. The war in Ukraine is not a war between Ukraine and Russia, but between the US and Russia, and more broadly Eurasia. Mike Pompeo has said that Mossad agents were marching alongside protesters in Iran. Hawks such as Lindsey Graham argue that the way to reconcile Saudi Arabia and Israel is to bring about regime change in Iran. The SDF is a US–Israeli pawn used against Türkiye, Syria, and the countries of the region. Prominent Israeli strategists say that if Tehran falls, Doha will fall as well. The examples could be multiplied. All of these are fronts and components of a single war.

What must be recognized at this point is this: the only force capable of preventing the ongoing wars from expanding and of averting the outbreak of an even larger war is the solidarity and cooperation of the Oppressed and Developing Countries. If this is achieved, the declining Atlantic world will not find the courage to launch a much larger war.