Individuals in International Relations

        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.