Especially since 2010, Turkey has taken some steps in foreign policy by giving emotional reactions. It has actually experienced many of the damages of these steps and still continues to do so. The process operated in Syria was one of them, and the wrong decisions taken in Syria were the worst that a country could do to itself. Unfortunately, Turkey did this. The problem of refugees today has emerged as a result of this whole 10-year process. Now we are faced with another problem in the same direction; those are immigrants from Afghanistan.
Every day, we come into contact with evaluations and explanations about the immigrants who head to Turkey from Afghanistan. As of last weekend, with the Taliban's entry into Kabul, this issue started to be discussed more on the agenda of the country. The thesis that the United States could seize the capital of the Taliban within 6 months collapsed before even a month. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country. There was even a handover between Taliban officials and the Afghan government. Even though there is chaos in Afghanistan at the moment, it is accepted by everyone that the country is under the de facto control of the Taliban.
On the other hand, there are those who compare what happened in the 2003 invasion of Iraq with the process of the Taliban's capture of Kabul. In my opinion, they do not have much overlap with each other. It should not be overlooked that the Taliban is a structure that controls a certain part of Afghanistan even during the 20-year occupation period of the USA. It is also known that the people do not prefer to be Afghan as their upper identity, and they describe themselves in terms of ethnicity. The situation in Iraq, on the other hand, was an outside initiative, initiated primarily by the US and coalition forces. In fact, Iraq was prepared for invasion by the Kesnizani Sect, whose roots were outside.
However, answers are sought to the question of what Turkey should do after this time. The negotiations with the USA, which started after the NATO Summit, seem to be in vain in the face of this de facto situation. However, it should be noted that the US has announced that it will send five thousand soldiers to evacuate its embassy and remove its citizens from there. The American establishment doesn't like to withdraw its soldiers. It wouldn't be too surprising if the US says I've risked everything and won't go. As you know, the reason for former President Donald Trump's inability to withdraw troops from Iraq and Syria was the fierce debate within the United States.
Besides, I don't think that the USA, Russia, or China, apart from Turkey, have discussed the Taliban issue from such ideological perspectives. Everyone evaluates the actual situation in terms of the interests of their own countries and tries to act in a balanced approach without acting hastily. Turkey should also seek ways to act on its own will, without haste. He should focus on being in Afghanistan, not as a representative of NATO or the United States, but from his own perspective. This is needed in order to eliminate the immigration problem and other possible problems. Just as the UK, Russia and the USA could not hold on in Afghanistan, different developments may emerge at any moment in the geography of Afghanistan, where ethnic identities are the main determinant. Even the Taliban may have disagreements among themselves.
Besides, of course, Turkey may have an opinion about the regimes of its close or distant neighbors with which it has relations, but it should not take decisions by putting these opinions directly at the center of the steps to be taken. At this point, lessons should be learned from the mistakes made in Syria. As it will be remembered, both in 1996 and in the social psychology conditions of that time, when the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan, the US spokesperson made the statement, "We can work with the Taliban". If the USA gets what it wants, it will make the same statement today. This should not be forgotten either.
As a result, new developments necessitate new evaluations. Images at airports, on the streets and on the borders to get out of Afghanistan today give important clues about what is going on inside. What should be done in Afghanistan is to ensure the safety of people's lives first. There may be many things that Turkey and Pakistan can do together in this regard. Now is the time to take some slow but steady steps. Everyone should try to do their part for the people of Afghanistan to live in peace and tranquility.