But lately NATO has been neglecting an important aspect related to soft power and now facing the consequences, which now emerge as internal threats.
A prominent example of a war of narratives was the “Free World – Iron Curtain” clash in the Cold War era, which to Soviet eyes was a “Capitalist Exploitation – Freeing the Proletariat” conflict.
For example, when the Byzantine and Persian narratives wore out in the 7th century, a new narrative led by Mohammad stirred the once-decentralized Middle Eastern tribes and united them, turning them into one of the most dynamic forces which quickly conquered regions one by one. In his book “Histoire des Turcs,” historian and Turcologist Jean Paul Roux explains the conversion of Turks to Islam by a refreshment of the narrative which eventually led to the destruction and replacement of Byzantine empire by these energetic warriors driven by the dream of the promised heavens.Nowadays, it seems the whole western “narrative”, the Free World concept, is wearing out.
When the established narrative wears out, a new and energetic narrative arises, utilizing the problems and latent tendencies in the structure and creating a new hegemony. Nowadays, it seems the whole western “narrative”, the Free World concept, is wearing out.
Hatred against the USA and its allies, Israel, or propagation of conspiracy theories in many countries have become obligatory in many EU countries to be acknowledged as an intellectual. This definitely influences the public opinion. With the success of far-right parties in the EU, many of which have strong links to the Kremlin, and rise of Trump in USA, this influence is soon to realize itself as a change in the policies and decision-making process. Russia is emerging as the new leader of an also newly-emerging nationalist bloc. The West, while being covertly nationalistic, has always despised nationalism in the open, and the reaction in the developing countries is the rise of a new wave of nationalism, rallied by the Russian leader Putin. Even in Türkiye, Erdoğan who once openly denounced nationalism, is now utilizing it to ensure the continuation of his reign. And since these nationalistic reactions in developing countries have rightful grounds, the West cannot suppress it. As Russia is creating its own framework of narrative on this nationalist wave, the West should embrace and create a favorable version of nationalism and endorse it. However, in Türkiye’s case, there is a worrying possibility that NATO sees Islamism a better option than nationalism. The USA’s refusal to extradite the influential cleric Fethullah Gülen on Türkiye’s request feeds speculations that Türkiye’s recent coup, led by the Gülen movement, was backed by America. As President Erdoğan continues to purge thousands of officials in the aftermath of the coup, resulting in the debacle of Türkiye, Turks ostensibly become more and more pro-Russian with anti-NATO sentiment high on the rise.Russia is emerging as the new leader of an also newly-emerging nationalist bloc.
In this regard, it’s possible that NATO’s largest mistake was its lack of progress in enhancing and renewing its main narrative, thus jeopardizing its prospects to remain united in diplomatic and mental terms.
