The Middle East is on fire. As the US-Israeli axis struck Iran, the world did not split in two; it became much more dangerous: The world is united in its lack of principles. In the midst of this fire, Spain's “no” vote shone like an exception. But when you look at the reaction of the left in Turkey and around the world, this is the picture that emerges:
War is not the problem.
The problem is that the left doesn't even know what it is against anymore.
Do not underestimate this sentence. Because it is much more than a political statement: It is a diagnosis of a historical unraveling. And this unraveling is not only in organizations, parties or leaders; it is happening directly in the mentality itself. Today, the left is drifting in an identity crisis, unable to identify the enemy, unable to distinguish between friends and, most importantly, unable to defend its principles consistently.
LEFT IN TURKEY: REFLEX, NO PRINCIPLE
In Turkey, the reaction to this war by large sections of the self-described “left” has fallen into three patterns:
- Automatic anti-Americanism
- Silent balancing
- Cowardice that makes even criticism of Israel measured
But none of this is a real political position.
Because the real position is this:
To be able to say three things at the same time:
- I oppose US imperial intervention
- I oppose Israel's regional militarism
- I do not legitimize Iran's authoritarian regime either
A significant part of the Turkish left cannot do this.
Because mentally he is still living in the Cold War.
But it is not just a question of historical delay. There is a deeper problem: Mental laziness. Slogans instead of analysis, reflexes instead of principles, habit instead of thought. This is why the left in Turkey is unable to analyze a complex geopolitical crisis; it tries to reduce it to a simple “good vs. bad” story.
Reality does not allow it.
CHP AND CENTER-LEFT: POLITICS OF POLLS, NOT PRINCIPLES
The CHP line was most clearly exposed in this crisis.
What did he do?
- It did not take a clear anti-imperialist stance
- He did not directly oppose the US
- He kept criticism of Israel limited and diplomatic
Do you know what that means?
This means that even foreign policy is read through “voter reaction”.
Today, the CHP behaves like a risk management company, not a party of principle.
Even when it comes to war, there is a calculation of “how will we be perceived if we are too harsh?”.
But there is something more dangerous here: This approach is contagious. When the center-left becomes unprincipled, the entire political space around it becomes like it. Thus, politics ceases to be a field of value production; it becomes a technical job of damage control.
But it is precisely in moments like these that politics becomes clear.
Spain took a risk.
The center-left in Turkey has calculated the risk.
That's the difference.
RADICAL LEFT: RHETORIC, NO REALITY
Structures further to the left face a different problem:
For them, the equation is still simple:
“If the US is bad, the other is good.”
This is a childish analysis.
Iran is not an anti-imperialist model.
A regional power, a state seeking to expand its sphere of influence.
But some leftist circles in Turkey still do not want to see this reality.
Because their ideological comfort zone does not allow this.
This is why we have this absurd situation:
- US criticism is correct
- Criticism of Israel is correct
- But no criticism of Iran
This is not analysis. This is the reflex of taking sides.
Let's say it more harshly: This is an escape from intellectual honesty. Because it is difficult to accept two truths at the same time. The easy one is chosen. But easy is not politics; easy is propaganda.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SPAIN AND TURKEY: NOT COURAGE, BUT MENTALITY
Spain's behavior is not only a matter of political courage.
It is a difference in mentality.
Spain did this:
“I am an ally, but I am not with you in every war.”
In Turkey, politics is at this level:
“Will what I say hurt me?”
So it is not a question of cowardice.
The issue is that politics has lost the capacity to produce principles.
And this loss is not just today's loss, but the accumulation of years. Politics in Turkey has long been reactive, not strategic. It has become a structure that drifts after events, not a structure that directs them.
WORLD LEFT A HISTORICAL UNRAVELING
The crisis you see in Turkey is not local.
This is part of the structural collapse of the world left.
Today the global left is fragmented along three main lines:
1. The Western Liberal Left: Imperialism's Accountants of Conscience
The liberal left in the US and Europe still defines itself as “progressive”.
But what they do in practice is this:
- Legitimizing NATO interventions as “humanitarian intervention”
- Being careful not to cross the line in criticizing Israel
- Not directly questioning US hegemony
This section is no longer the opponent of the system, but the moral ornament of the order.
Let's say it more clearly: This left is the soft face of imperialism. It only discusses its aesthetics without criticizing the hard power.
2. The Camp Left: The New Cold War Reflex
This group still reads the world in two blocks:
- Anyone who opposes the US is a potential ally
- Actors such as Russia, China and Iran are “balancing factors”
The problem with this approach is this:
Reducing imperialism to the West.
But where there is power, there is domination.
This is why this left reproduces the very thing it criticizes.
3. Identitarian and Postmodern Left: De-politicized Opposition
For them, the main battleground is no longer the economy or imperialism,
cultural and discursive space.
But this approach has a serious dilemma:
Wars, crises and geopolitical conflicts
cannot be analyzed through theories of identity.
Conclusion.
Detachment from reality.
And a politics detached from reality eventually becomes ineffective.
4. The Global South Left: Resistance Exists but Disorganized
Some left movements in Latin America, Africa and Asia are still clearer:
- They oppose US interventions
- They emphasize economic independence
But there is another problem here too:
Lack of coherence.
Because some of these movements:
- They ignore their own authoritarianism
- “Legitimizes domestic politics with the ”external enemy" discourse
This makes anti-imperialism no longer a project of freedom,
into an instrument of power.
THE EUROPEAN LEFT AND SPAIN: EXCEPTION OR NEW BEGINNING?
That's why Spain's attitude is important.
Because for the first time in Europe in a long time, a left-wing government:
- NATO distances itself from the line
- Open appeal to the US
- Did not provide logistical support to the war machine
But it is also necessary to say this clearly:
This is not a rupture.
This is an attempt to draw a line.
Spain is still in the system.
But at least it says this:
“I'm not in every game.”
This looks like a small one.
But even that is radical in today's world.
Because what is radical today is not shouting;
is being able to say “no” to the power you're attached to.
THE REAL CRISIS THE MORAL BANKRUPTCY OF THE LEFT
Today, the biggest problem of the left in Turkey and in the world is not organization.
It's not a theory.
The real problem is this:
There is no moral consistency.
Same circles:
- Shouting for human rights in a war
- The other is silent
- One says imperialism
- The other ignores it
This is not sustainable.
Because now everyone sees this:
It is not a question of principle, it is a question of position.
Let's say it more harshly: This is a crisis of hypocrisy.
WHAT IS TRUE ANTI-IMPERIALISM?
Real anti-imperialism is not comfortable.
It requires the following:
- To be able to oppose your own side too
- Saying the unpopular
- Being able to criticize more than one power at the same time
This is difficult.
But the left exists to do the difficult.
Not to do what is easy.
Most of the left today is not the difficult one,
prefers the one that brings applause.
And this choice is slowly neutralizing him.
EITHER RE-ESTABLISHMENT OR HISTORICAL ERASURE
Spain's exit is not a hope, but a warning.
Because this shows us this:
Even governments can be principled at times.
But the left?
Both in Turkey and in the world, they still act on reflexes, fears and memorization.
If this does not change, let me say this clearly:
Left, stop being in power,
It will even lose the capacity to convince society.
And then it won't be about that:
“Why can't the left win?”
The point will be this:
“Does the left still exist?”
Because history does not accept a vacuum.
If the left cannot fill this vacuum, other forces will fill it.
And then not only the left loses.
Society loses.