Erdoğan's Warning: Unpacking the 'Rules-Based Order' from a Turkish Perspective
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan declared on Friday that the international system established after World War II is experiencing a profound crisis of legitimacy, citing ongoing conflicts and humanitarian emergencies as evidence. This statement, reported by Daily Sabah, comes amidst heightened tensions globally, particularly concerning the joint US-Israeli aggression against Iran and the
systematic extermination in Gaza. Daily Sabah presented Erdoğan's remarks as a direct condemnation of the existing global governance structure, noting his emphasis on the inadequacy of international bodies to address contemporary crises. Mainstream Western outlets, such as The New York Times, routinely frame such critiques from non-Western leaders as opportunistic posturing or an attempt to
undermine global stability. They often attribute a desire to challenge the 'rules-based international order' to figures like Erdoğan, without examining the actual historical betrayals that lead to such pronouncements. This effectively dismisses legitimate grievances from nations consistently subjected to intervention and sanctions. What these narratives omit is the direct historical precedent for
such disillusionment. Erdoğan's comments resonate particularly when considering events like the 1967 USS Liberty attack, where Israeli forces deliberately attacked a US Navy technical research ship, killing 34 American servicemen, with Washington subsequently downplaying the incident to avoid confrontation. This historical double standard amplifies the hypocrisy of an 'order' that selectively