In this new section, we will transition along that
strategic line stretching from the Balkans to the Middle East. We will focus on
regional developments that affected our country's security and foreign policy,
such as the Balkan Alliance, the Baghdad Pact, and the Syrian Crisis. After
closing this important file, we will set sail for brand-new topics.
Balkan Alliance
The first critical step in this new phase stretching from the Balkans to the Middle East is the Balkan Alliance, or the Balkan Pact, dated August 9, 1954. This alliance was formed when Yugoslavia, the only communist state outside of Soviet control, came together with Türkiye and Greece, whose entries into NATO were already guaranteed. The main goal was to prevent the USSR from expanding into the Balkans and the Mediterranean.
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| Member Countries of the Balkan Alliance |
The rapprochement among the three countries, which
began towards the end of 1951, became official with the “Treaty of Friendship
and Cooperation” signed in Ankara on February 28, 1953. Under this agreement,
the parties decided to consult each other on matters of common interest and to
hold meetings at the foreign minister level at least once a year. As a result
of these ongoing meetings, the Bled Agreement was signed on August 9, 1954,
transforming the alliance fully into a military pact.
In fact, any attack directed at one of them would be
considered an attack against all, and all necessary measures, including
military force, would be taken. However, things did not go as smoothly as they
appeared on paper. From the very first days, disagreements between Turkey and
Yugoslavia emerged, and Yugoslavia's interest in the pact began to wane as it
mended its relations with the Soviets after 1955. On top of that, when the
Cyprus Issue erupted between Turkey and Greece, the positive atmosphere created
by the pact completely faded away. Managing to exist on paper until 1960, the
pact officially came to an end and became history in June 1960.
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| Member Countries of the Baghdad Pact |
Another major development that
fundamentally shook the balance in the Middle East was the Baghdad Pact,
established on February 24, 1955. Seeing the decline of French and British
influence in the region, a new alliance idea emerged to prevent Soviet Russia
from infiltrating the Middle East. Although this idea originally came from the
US, it was Türkiye that put it into action, and the pact was initially signed
between Türkiye and Iraq. The pact quickly expanded with the participation of
the UK, Pakistan, and Iran, but unfortunately, it failed to create the expected
unifying effect in the Arab world.
On the contrary, Arab
countries other than Iraq strongly opposed the pact, and the Middle East was
literally split into three camps: those who joined, those who strongly opposed
it (led by Egypt), and those who remained neutral. Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel
Nasser, who did not want to lose the leadership of the Middle East to Türkiye
and dreamed of uniting the Arab world under his own roof, reacted strongly to
this situation. Nasser’s increasing anti-Western sentiment and his
rapprochement with the Soviets directly paved the way for the Suez Crisis and
ironically made the USSR's job in the region much easier. The real blow that
changed the fate of the pact came from Iraq, where the monarchy was overthrown
in 1958; the new administration officially announced its withdrawal from the
pact on March 24, 1959.
With Iraq’s departure, the
headquarters of the organization was immediately moved to Ankara, and its name
was changed to CENTO (Central Treaty Organization) on August 18, 1959. In fact,
CENTO’s first meeting was held in Washington in October 1959. Although
initially established as a military defence alliance, the organization
gradually shifted its focus to economic, cultural, and technical cooperation
among its members. However, this unity reached the point of collapse when
Pakistan and Iran left on March 12, 1979. The very next day, with Türkiye announcing that it respected these withdrawal decisions and that CENTO had
effectively lost its function in the region, this alliance, which had marked an
era, came to a de facto, if not legal, end.
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| Syrian scouts on the parade at the year of the crisis |
Another major flashpoint in the Middle East was the Syrian Crisis that erupted in 1957. Syria, which had gained its independence from France prior to World War II, was heavily shaken by successive government coups in the 1950s. Amidst this political instability, Syria’s rapprochement with the Soviet Union, driven by Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser, disturbed its neighbours. Particularly, when Syria signed an aid agreement with the USSR in 1956, it was met with fierce backlash from Türkiye, Iraq, Jordan, Israel, and Lebanon. These countries had come to firmly believe that Syria was turning into a mere “Moscow Satellite.”
The situation grew so tense that US President Eisenhower sent a message to Turkish Prime Minister Adnan Menderes, guaranteeing immediate American weapons aid if Türkiye, Iraq, and Jordan were forced to launch a military operation in response to a potential Syrian attack. Following this assurance, Türkiye’s decision to mass troops on the Syrian border and conduct military exercises brought relations between the two countries to the breaking point.
While the USSR escalated its counter-pressure during this critical period, the region ultimately stepped back from the brink of war. The crisis was gradually resolved thanks to the unwavering support of the US for Türkiye, Saudi Arabia’s mediation between the two nations, and Jordan’s King Hussein softening his stance toward Syria. Another crucial factor in ending the crisis was the historic agreement signed between Syria and Egypt on September 14, 1957.
The two states decided to form a union under the name of the “United Arab Republic” starting from February 1, 1958. However, this political marriage, which made a massive impact in the Arab world, did not last long; their ties weakened over time, and the union officially ended with a government coup staged by conservative military officers in Syria in 1961.
We are finally putting aside the political maps, the
never-ending border conflicts, the secret treaties, and the threats of nuclear
war. As we close our Cold War file, we turn our course to perhaps the most
fascinating, transformative, and impactful front of this era on our daily
lives: Socio-cultural and
scientific developments.
