There have been numerous analyses on Turkey comparing it to other countries, and the focus often concerns the impact of Turkey on the region. The obvious flaw of many of such analyses is that, they usually fail to look at the situation from Turkey's perspective. Turkey is a major regional power that involves itself in the affairs of various countries, from Syria, Iraq, to Libya. It shot down Russian military aircraft, won the Armenian War, and now it gets itself busy in Afghanistan left behind by U.S. troops. Many of these actions are those other countries, including China, do not dare to take.

With all of these incidents in mind, Turkey, especially the one under Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, seems to be underestimated by the rest of the world.

I believe that the success or failure of Turkey's involvement in Afghanistan will determine whether Erdoğan's Turkey can emerge as a superpower. What Erdoğan pursues is to be a kind of "world superpower with regional dominance" (WSRD), which appears to be Erdoğan’s strategic goal and the key to understand Turkey's actions in the world and around the Mediterranean Sea.

Will Erdoğan's Turkey achieve the main goals of WSRD? My opinion is that, the key lies in Afghanistan. Afghanistan has historically been called the "graveyard of empires" for a reason. If Erdoğan's Turkey succeeds in achieving its goals in Afghanistan, at least a little better than the United States, then Turkey will be very close to becoming a WSRD, or even actually becoming one. Afghanistan will test Erdoğan's Turkey as it has tested other empires throughout history.

When it comes to Afghanistan, Erdoğan would only fear the intervention and discontent of China. If China is aware of Turkey's position in the world, then China would intervene in Afghanistan and indeed it does have the leverage to do so. This kind of leverage is not obtained through negotiations; there must be a certain degree of military presence in order to have real leverage. If China fails to see Turkey's ambitions and take relevant measures, then whatever China says in the future will be mere empty talk. In the future, Erdoğan’s Turkey will take advantage of this opportunity and become a WSRD