Do individuals matter in international
relations? I think the answer is clearly yes. We live in planet of over 7
billion people, and at first glance it is hard to imagine how one specific
individual can make a difference and alter the course of history for the better
or, sometimes, for the worse. But history is full of such people, some recent
examples are Osama bin Laden, Gaddafi, Ahmadinejad, Assad in the Middle East.
It can be said that most of these individuals are political leaders, but it is
not always the case as we can see with Osama bin Laden. I want to go back in
history in a little bit, and focus on the aftermath of the First World War.
Today marks the 89th anniversary of the foundation of the Turkish Republic
(Oct. 29, 1923). While the Turkish people as a whole won the war of
independence, none of it would have been possible if not for Mustafa Kemal
Ataturk. I want to focus on his incredible achievements in the aftermath of the
Great War, and how he became, in my mind, one of the greatest revolutionaries
of the 20th century.
The Ottoman Empire signed the treaty of
Sevres following the end of WWI. The document effectively partitioned the
empire. The British held the Bosphorus straits around Constantinople, Iraq and
Palestine. The French seized parts of southern Anatolia, and Syria. Italy
invaded southwestern Anatolia, and while western Anatolia was initially
promised to the Italians, the Greeks were given Smyrna and the surrounding
areas with the support of the British. The remaining lands in central
Anatolia was all the empire had left. Mustafa Kemal, still a commander in the
Ottoman army, was in Constantinople when the British navy sailed in and seized
the imperial capital. While the Ottoman government was fully cooperating with
the invading powers, Mustafa Kemal was fully aware that the Sultan was very out
of touch with his people in Anatolia. He was looking for an opportunity to
leave Constantinople and join forces with the Turkish people in Anatolia. He
seized the chance when the British ordered the Ottoman government to
investigate alleged mistreatments of the Greek people in Sinop. As inspector of
the Ottoman army, he set sail to Sinop. Before long it was clear to the Ottoman
government that he was not there to investigate. He was stripped of his titles,
and he resigned as an army officer. He moved to Ankara, which was strategically
the safest location in Anatolia. At perhaps his weakest moment, as he had no
legal authority, he was backed up by other influential generals in the region such
as Kazim Karabekir, whose forces vowed allegiance to Mustafa Kemal.
Meanwhile, the Greeks were on an
ambitious military campaign, conquering eastwards from Smyrna, and getting
dangerously close to Ankara. Mustafa Kemal quickly created the General
Assembly, which granted him emergency powers in order to legitimize the
creation of the Turkish army with Mustafa Kemal as the Commander in Chief. He
improved relations with the newfound Russian state, which provided the broke
Turkish rebels with weapons and supplies. The Italians were reluctant to fight,
as they weren't granted the lands they were promised. They cooperated with the
Turkish Assembly, along with the French. It was clear that, the Ankara
government was the legitimate government in Turkey, not the Sultan in
Constantinople. It was also clear that Mustafa Kemal was willing to fight the
Greeks, and if necessary the British for independence.
Initial fights proved catastrophic for
the Turkish army, as it was outnumbered, outgunned, and it lacked military
discipline. The Greek advance continued, as the Greek army crossed the Sakarya
river and camped a few hours out of Ankara. Mustafa Kemal calmly ordered the
army to retreat back, and lay low. He assumed full control of the army, while the
previous battles were mainly fought by Ismet Inonu. Mustafa Kemal eventually
led an offensive to drive the Greeks back. He routed the Greek army quickly as
the retreat turned into chaos. As the two armies got closer to the shore, and
Smyrna, the Greek army was in full panic, and the Turkish army's confidence was
soaring. On September 9th, Smyrna (now called Izmir) was liberated, and Mustafa
Kemal turned his attention to the straits. Initially it seemed as if a military
confrontation between Mustafa Kemal and the British army was inevitable.
However, by the end of the Greek defeat, popular support for the British
occupation in Turkey had fallen dramatically, and the British people no longer
believed in the cause. The British government did not risk another war, and
decided to leave Constantinople (now called Istanbul) to the Ankara government.
Treaty of Sevres was revoked, and with the treaty of Lousanne the current
borders of Turkey ( with the exception of Hatay) was drawn and recognized by
the international community.
On October 29th, Mustafa Kemal
declared the newfound country a secular republic, returning back the emergency
powers to the parliament. He then went on and introduced a series of drastic
reforms in order to "westernize" Turkey, such as the introduction of
the latin alphabet, the metric system, and the Gregorian calendar. He
singe-handedly willed a nation to independence, and changed the course of a
people. He did not stop there and made sure that the newfound country would be up
par with other modern nations. In my opinion, he is the perfect example for why
individuals matter in international relations.
