Tens of thousands of police have been deployed across Ankara, air defenses placed on high alert, and public gatherings banned as Turkey prepares to host the NATO summit. These sweeping security measures, which also impose restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly, are meant to safeguard the summit and project Turkey’s commitment to the military alliance.
Leaders from all 32 member states, including U.S. President Donald Trump, are expected to convene in Ankara on July 7-8. Trump's past threats to withdraw from NATO and reduce U.S. troop levels have cast uncertainty over the alliance's future. The Turkish state has also unveiled a new VIP airport, converted from a former military airfield, specifically to host these NATO leaders.
The State's Grip
Life in Ankara, a city of nearly 6 million, faces severe disruption. Strict access restrictions will be imposed on main arteries, around airports, the presidential complex, and hotels hosting delegations. Authorities have banned demonstrations, concerts, and even graduation ceremonies during the summit period. Nonessential state employees have been placed on leave to ease congestion, further illustrating the state's control over public life.
Security units have detained more than 200 people suspected of links to extremist groups, including the Islamic State group. Media reports indicate that several activists, lawyers, and an academic were caught up in these sweeps. A Turkish court blocked access to websites critical of NATO and the summit, citing security and public order. Several journalists from Turkish opposition-leaning media organizations were denied accreditation to cover the summit, sparking outrage from media rights groups. Namik Tan, a former Turkish ambassador, noted, “In the history of the organization, we have never witnessed security measures as stringent and suffocating in a host city for a summit as we are seeing this time in Ankara.” Personal trainer Selin Karakoc expressed relief that her wedding on July 5 falls just before the restrictions begin, joking, “Ours could be one of the last weddings in Ankara that week.” The new Ankara Airport, transformed from a military airfield, is expected to remain a VIP facility after the summit, not serving the general public. Facades of houses along the route from this new airport have been painted over as part of city beautification efforts, according to Cumhuriyet newspaper.
Capital's Alliance
At the Ankara summit, NATO members are expected to address defense spending and the U.S.’s evolving role. The main agenda will center on unity after Trump criticized allies for failing to support the U.S.-led war on Iran and efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Fatih Ceylan, a former Turkish ambassador to NATO, stated that the meeting's important aspect is “to what extent the rift between the United States and Europe can be healed or narrowed,” adding, “We should not expect miracles.” This highlights the inherent contradictions within the imperialist bloc, which even its proponents admit are difficult to overcome.
Turkey’s role as host seems to have secured Trump’s appearance, given his close rapport with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Trump remarked, “Well, except for the fact that it was being held in Turkey by President Erdogan, I don’t think I would have gone to it.” Erdogan described Turkey as a reliable ally that consistently shoulders responsibility on NATO’s southeastern flank, aiming for the Ankara Summit to “stand as a reference point in NATO’s history.” Turkey, a NATO member since 1952, possesses the alliance’s second-largest army and a fast-growing defense industry, strategically positioned at the crossroads of Europe, the Middle East, the Black Sea, and the Caucasus.
Turkey has often acted independently, frustrating allies by refusing to participate in sanctions on Russia, engaging in disputes with Greece, and purchasing Russian missile defense systems. This move led to its expulsion from the U.S.-led F-35 program in its seventh year, 2019. Turkey also delayed Finland and Sweden’s NATO membership in its fourth year, 2022, until securing concessions on counter-terrorism cooperation and the lifting of arms export restrictions. It blocked the appointments of NATO chiefs Anders Fogh Rassmussen in 2009 and Mark Rutte in 2024 until other demands were met. Turkey’s independent streak has also enabled it to play a mediating role, such as brokering a deal to ship grain across the Black Sea between Ukraine and Russia in its fourth year, 2022, and supporting recent initiatives aimed at ending the war in Iran. Ankara has also expressed frustration with NATO allies, particularly over what it perceived as a lack of solidarity during a failed coup attempt in its tenth year, 2016, and the arms sales restrictions imposed after its intervention in Syria.
Murat Aslan, an analyst at the Ankara-based SETA think tank, noted Turkey learned to “play it alone” due to turbulent relations with the United States and Europe. He added that Europe is now also discussing “strategic autonomy” from the U.S. More recently, Turkey has leaned closer to NATO, whose importance was underscored during the Iran war when alliance missile defenses intercepted four missiles fired from Iran into Turkish territory. Weeks before the summit, Italy and Germany deployed air defense systems to help Turkey respond to heightened threats. Hamish Kinnear, an analyst at Verisk Maplecroft, wrote, “Turkey wishes to distinguish itself as a foreign policy actor that is independent of NATO and the West,” but added, “While Turkey is not abandoning its balancing approach, it is tilting closer to the West, primarily because of NATO.” This demonstrates the shifting alliances and strategic calculations within the global capitalist order, where national interests are constantly re-evaluated to secure capital accumulation and geopolitical influence.