By Dieter Egli *
To find peace and to protect its own interests, Europe must integrate an Eastern perspective.
This fall began with two extraordinary coincidences: Türkiye applied to join the BRICS(1) and lightning struck(2) the iconic Arch of Constantine in Rome, knocking off sizeable pieces of rock. The coincidence is symbolic. Türkiye may be chipping away at the foundations of the Western world.
According Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan(3), the lack of progress on European Union (EU) membership spurred Türkiye’s application to the BRICS. Decades ago in 1987, Türkiye applied for EU membership. More than ten years passed before it was granted candidate status. Negotiations then dragged on, and in 2019, the European Parliament voted to halt membership talks(4), citing concerns over democracy and human rights.
As a result, Turkey remains without a significant voice in European or Western politics. While the integration of Türkiye into Europe is often seen as an economic issue, the stakes are much higher: resetting the West’s relationship with Russia and the Near East, which are both clearly in deep trouble.
Historical precedents provide valuable guidance. Roman Emperor Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire from Rome to Constantinople – the present-day Istanbul – because he believed the sprawling Roman Empire was imbalanced. Stretching from Britain to Egypt and around the Mediterranean, it could no longer effectively be governed from Italy. The Senate would continue to meet in Rome and Rome would remain the cultural center of the Roman Empire. But the emperor would rule from Constantinople. Much has changed in Eastern Europe since Constantine, yet the urgency for integrating the worldviews of Western and Eastern Europe has never been greater.
Politicians, such as former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson(5), warn: “If Ukraine falls, it will be a catastrophe for the West, the end of Western hegemony, a turning point in history.” Perhaps. Yet politicians like Johnson failed to avert or resolve this crisis because their mindsets are centered in Western Europe and failed to take advantage of the bridge that Türkiye offered.
Peace talks in Istanbul between Ukraine and Russia in early 2022 had progressed towards an agreement. But the West did not support(6) their successful conclusion. Objections were apparently about restrictions on weapons systems in Ukraine, not territorial disputes. Russia was on the verge of agreeing to withdraw, fulfilling the key aim to halt its aggression and reverse its territorial gains since Feb ‘22. But there was no agreement. Encouraged by the UK prime minister(7), fighting continued.
What is most notable about this near agreement is where the talks were held. Not in neutral Switzerland or the USA. Türkiye in Istanbul provided the venue. Where British politicians like Johnson wanted to fight to the end, Turkish diplomats offered mediation.
Europe needs Türkiye to achieve a meaningful balance to avoid deepening divisions and committing itself to an existential struggle. Inclusion of Türkiye in Europe would change what is politically feasible toward Russia, and in the Near East. Europe has not had the benefit of integrating Eastern perspectives into its policies for over a thousand years.
A crucial moment in the formation of the West was the coronation of the Frankish King Charlemagne as Roman Emperor by Pope Leo III in 800 AD. The transfer of Rome’s authority to Northwestern Europe set the continent on divergent paths for East and West. Russia oriented themselves primarily toward the Eastern Rome in Constantinople. The legitimate heir of Rome was—no surprise—whichever side claimed it for itself, just as each believed its own religion, ideology or form of government was the legitimate one. Similarly, when the Ottomans took Constantinople and claimed the title of Roman Emperor, their claim was not recognized by the West. These age-old divisions reverberate to this day.
The ideological divide between East and West Rome that arose under Christian leadership and concerned differences in faith has extended into other ideologies, whether it be Communism versus Capitalism, Democracy versus Autocracy, or “Western values” versus Traditionalism. Even as Communism, long seen as the main issue between East and West, lost significance, the divide deepened rather than closing. The differences themselves are not insurmountable, as their changing nature suggests. The core issue lies in the divide itself, which persists across shifting ideologies, as if any difference were enough to justify the split. As a result, structures for joint decision-making and for the negotiation of differences are not established, permitting divisions to grow. Conflict eventually arrives.
There is a better option: fulfilling the plans to integrate Turkey into the European Union while shifting key European decision-making centers to Rome and Istanbul. It would create a union analogous to Constantinian Rome before the East-West split. This strategic move would establish a new political balance and require negotiating a consensus across age-old divides. The current centers of the EU in Northwestern Europe reflect the need to overcome former divisions between France and Germany but does not address current pressing challenges. These challenges are the conflicts in Ukraine and the Near East, insufficient integration across the continent, and dependence on the United States in security. Notably, Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni(8) has expressed a desire to make Rome the European Capital—a sentiment reflecting the city’s ability to embody the lessons from thousands of years of history.
For both Eastern and Western Europe, it is in the South, rather than the North, where the origins of European state cultures lie. It is also where a new basis for European integration, autonomy, and the foundations of peace may be found.
Linked articles:
1. Turkey Bids to Join BRICS in Push to Build Alliances Beyond West. Bloomberg. Sept.
2, 2024
2. A lightning strike damages Rome’s ancient Constantine Arch. AP News. Sept. 4, 2024
3. Turkey wouldn’t be interested in joining BRICS if it was an EU member state, foreign
minister says. Euro News. Sept. 19, 2024
4. Parliament wants to suspend EU accession negotiations with Turkey. European
Parliament News. March 13, 2019
5. BORIS JOHNSON: If Ukraine falls, it’ll be a catastrophic turning point in history – and an
utter humiliation for the West… Why the hell are we waiting to give this heroic nation the
weapons it needs? Daily Mail. April 12, 2024
6. Victoria Nuland Appears to Confirm Key Moment When Peace Deal Was Scuttled in
Ukraine. Responsible Statecraft. Sept. 11, 2024
7. “Ukraine’s finest hour”: Johnson echoes Churchill in speech to Ukraine’s parliament
Axios. May 3, 2022
8. Rome has all the papers in order to be the capital of a new European Union. Why the
Capital of the EU has to be the most representative of its millennium tradition. Giorgia
Meloni, Facebook post, April 15, 2019
*The article was submitted to Other News by the author
*Dr. Egli, is an Associate Professor of Developmental Cell Biology at Columbia University, New York, USA. Dieter Egli obtained his PhD at the University of Zurich and is a citizen of both Switzerland and the United States.
Email contact: de2220@columbia.edu