Abdurrahman Dilipak critiques the concept of self-determination

Abdurrahman Dilipak provides a commentary on the concept of self-determination, describing it as one of the most unfortunate inventions of the 20th century. He argues that the principle, associated with Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points and Lenin’s theses, was designed to dismantle empires, specifically citing the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian Empires as its primary victims.

Dilipak notes that while the principle of respect for the equal rights of peoples and self-determination has since been integrated into the United Nations Charter, he views the historical application of such concepts as a tool that has often led to the redistribution of power and the reshaping of national destinies.