Preparations by the government are continuing ahead of the NATO Summit, which will be held in Ankara on 7–8 July. While the Palace regime continues to take steps that will bring life to a standstill on the one hand, it is engaged in future accounting with the imperialists from whom it seeks legitimacy on the other.

Most recently, within the scope of preparations for the NATO Summit, Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ) students were evicted from their dormitories within the school, citing "security measures." While it was learned that the student dormitories would be closed to use between 4–13 July, no alternative accommodation was provided to the students.

THE MOST EXPENSIVE SUMMIT IN HISTORY

The total cost of the summit preparations has approached 12 billion TL. This budget, equivalent to 221 million Euros, brought Türkiye the distinction of hosting the most expensive NATO Summit in history. On the other hand, the regime, with all its actors, is in complete obedience to the imperialist design of NATO. While praise for NATO is never lacking from the pro-government media, an attempt is being made to present the meeting planned to be held one-on-one between President from the AKP Tayyip Erdoğan and US President Donald Trump with great ostentation.

THE REGIME'S NATO SUMMIT PRIDE

Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan also pointed out in his statement the other day that this summit is a transition to a different phase for them. Expressing that they are very important for the war organisation NATO, Fidan declared that their government is vying for the task. Stating that Türkiye has once again demonstrated its strategic importance and role within NATO, Fidan said, "The summit being held in Türkiye once again demonstrates and reinforces Türkiye's strategic importance and its role within NATO. This is truly a matter of pride on behalf of our state and our nation."

THE USA'S 'SKILLED' ALLY

Praise from the USA has been relentless ahead of the NATO Summit. The Palace administration, which follows a policy of total dependence on imperialism, most recently garnered the praise of Matthew Whitaker, the Permanent Representative of the USA to NATO. Stating that Türkiye's defence industry capacity should constitute a "model" for other allies, Whitaker said, "We need all of our allies to be more like Türkiye."

Mentioning that he was in Türkiye a month ago, Whitaker touched upon his visits to İzmir, Istanbul, and Incirlik Air Base in Adana. Describing Türkiye as an "incredibly capable ally," Whitaker assessed, "They are seriously committed to the NATO alliance and also the security of themselves and their allies.”

DEMOCRACY IS NO LONGER A CRITERION

Throughout the Cold War, the USA was at the centre of NATO. Today, however, the USA, especially with the Trump administration, is trying to be a global coordinator rather than a global hegemon. Washington no longer wants to carry a direct military burden on every front; it distributes the cost to its allies. This is the reason why it wants Europe to spend more. That is why Türkiye's role is also changing.

Türkiye is becoming a logistical and geopolitical node. Its value to NATO comes from here as well. The visit to BAYKAR should also be read in this context. The message given here is: "Türkiye is not just a country that provides soldiers to NATO; it is also a part of NATO's production capacity." Considering NATO's goal of growing its defence industry capacity in recent years, this is a very conscious symbol.

The Trump-Erdoğan relationship should also be read beyond personal friendship. Trump prefers to negotiate with leaders rather than institutional alliances. Erdoğan is one of the leaders who knows this. Therefore, the Ankara Summit may turn into a meeting where leader diplomacy comes to the fore rather than NATO’s institutional diplomacy.

'GEOPOLITICISED LEGITIMACY'

For a long time, Türkiye has been speaking not through democracy but through security in its relations with the West. While the fundamental question directed at Türkiye used to be, "Is it democratising?", today the question is: "Is it balancing Russia?", "Is it taking a role in the Iran crisis?", "Is it managing migration?" In other words, democracy has ceased to be the determining criterion of foreign policy; it has become a sub-heading of security files. This is the case not only for Türkiye but also for the general orientation of the global system. I define this as "geopoliticised legitimacy." While political legitimacy used to be discussed through elections and law, today the international legitimacy of states is increasingly generated from their geopolitical functions. Finally, this summit also has an important function in terms of domestic politics.

Moving the agenda to the axis of foreign policy expands the space where President Erdoğan gains political advantage. While foreign policy crises and international summits highlight the executive's decision-making capacity and leadership image, issues such as economic crisis, cost of living, and justice stand out as the areas where the government is most fragile. While developments in foreign policy and the security agenda tend to increase the electoral support of the AKP and Erdoğan, economic and legal developments in domestic policy strengthen the social support of the opposition. Therefore, it would not be surprising if the government follows a political communication strategy that makes international developments and Türkiye's geopolitical role more visible in the coming period. As the election atmosphere is shaped through foreign policy, Erdoğan's competitive advantage increases, while the agenda returning to the economy and domestic politics will create a table in favour of the opposition.

PLAYING MUSICAL CHAIRS

In the coming days, NATO seems to be trying to shift the burden-sharing to Europe. Türkiye pays its required share according to its GDP. It is a country that brings various advantages to the alliance due to its strategic position. America is creating the infrastructure for a level of distant relationship with its de facto withdrawal from Europe.

This situation will impose an additional burden on European countries. Many countries do not want to take on this burden. Taxes collected are wanted to be used to keep social welfare high, but this does not seem very likely in the reality of the new world. In fact, the fundamental question ahead is not the determination of NATO's new term policy, but whether NATO has a future.

After the Cold War ended, NATO lost its founding meaning in many respects. Currently, it is not NATO's third phase that is being sought, but its future. With Trump's rhetoric of "We are not here anymore," the alliance received major blows. We will see at this summit whether a consensus on the future can be created among the members. If you look at the general process in the world, there is a shift to the right in Europe. Democracy falls into the background, and countries where democracy is already weak, such as Türkiye, take more of a beating from this situation. Not only NATO but also EU countries have democracy-oriented rhetoric towards Türkiye. Even if big words are said, they are not followed through.

Türkiye's strategic and geographical importance is more important for the EU than the rule of law and democracy. We will see similar statements again, but there will be no continuation. The reason for this is that as the new global order takes shape, concerns such as law and freedom fall into the background. Right now, a game of musical chairs is being played in this order. Since Türkiye is a country whose importance is increasing in terms of NATO, playgrounds are being opened for Türkiye in the field as well. Although it is said that NATO has no future, NATO is also necessarily needed, and it is not desired for these institutions to collapse.

Note: This article is translated from the original article titled NATO Zirvesi'ne giderken: 'Yetenekli müttefik' gelecek hesabında, published in BirGün newspaper on July 4, 2026.