International relations are shaped by national interest. States are perpetually striving to get stronger, either by making common cause with other states or expanding economically and militarily at the expense of other states. Before the 20th century,

the ‘balance of power’ sustained by military alliances between states gave the best possible explanation for understanding, interpreting and predicting geopolitics. In the 20th century, especially after the Second World War, the idea of collective defense under international institutions gained prominence.

Foremost among these institutions is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization or NATO for short. Formed in 1949 to contain Soviet expansionism, many argue that NATO has outlived its usefulness because the Soviet Union is no more. Still, the principle of collective defense embodied Article 5 of NATO’s constitution makes this military pact stand out from the rest. Indeed, it’s the reason for internal solidarity in NATO. An attack on one NATO member is considered an attack on all.

Although liberal internationalism goes a long way in helping us understand how states tend to behave in global affairs, the national interest of countries is still the primary motive for virtually all actions they undertake. Realism triumphs over liberalism, in other words.

This has been demonstrated by the way Turkey is moving closer to China and Russia while problems in the relationship with the US persist. The Turkish lira got hammered recently, plunging nearly 8% over the course of a weekend. This sparked mass sellout of assets across Europe.

Many feared that the economic problems the Turkish economy is suffering from might spill over to the wider region and western Europe in particular which has been experiencing anemic growth for nearly a decade. The President of Turkey called the decline in the value of the national currency an ‘underhand plot’

by the West to ‘bring Turkey to its knees’. At the same time, he also said that Ankara would look towards Beijing for financing. China has been on a global spending spree ever since the Belt and Road Initiative was announced and will probably happily invest in Turkey.