Let me start my article by sharing with you the comment of the aforementioned Emily (of course, we don’t know if her real name is Emily. For now, we’ll use the name she declared to us). Here is Emily’s comment full of criticism (I share the original text):
“As a student studying failed revolutions, it’s honestly surreal that you’re out here lecturing the world about democracy and freedom while your own country is suppressing journalists and crushing the opposition.
It’s pretty rich that you’re talking about corruption when Turkey’s judiciary is basically just a tool of the ruling party.
And it’s laughable to see a blogger criticizing other countries… Did you run out of problems in Turkey?
If you’re really worried about corrupt governments, maybe you should start by looking at your own backyard.
Your analysis would be way more credible if you started at home — Turkey is not a democracy, and you know it.”
My response to her criticisms
Now, let’s get to my response to these criticisms. I will first share the original message and then the translation:
“Hello Emily (I’m not sure if this is your real name or your e-mail address is correct, but I’ll call you as you registered and share my response with you),
I don’t understand why you’re so offended with my article (here is the link: https://serhansuzer.com/tr/guc-zehirlerini-abdnin-sonunu-getirir-mi/ ). Anyone can criticize anyone. I can criticize your government and you can criticize the current Turkish Government. And I’m not defending the actions of our current government. In fact, I don’t feel that the current Turkish president and his administration represent me and people like me. And the bottom-line problem is the characteristics of the ‘Baby Boom Generation.’ Look at all the leaders of various countries all around the world and analyze how they manage their countries. You will understand what I mean.
Moreover, the difference between Turkish and U.S. presidents is that when U.S. does anything positive or negative the whole world is positively or adversely affected because of globalization and such a military and financial power your country has. Therefore, it definitely concerns me the actions of Trump Administration and I have every right to criticize Trump and his administration. I recommend that you read my following article that I posted today (here is the link: https://serhansuzer.com/tr/abdnin-kurtulus-recetesi/ ). It is in Turkish and English translation will be posted soon. In this article, I come up with many solutions to the challenges/problems your country is facing.
Furthermore, if you read my article carefully, I’m relating to our history and how the Ottoman Empire collapsed and the U.S. administration making similar mistakes which will result in the collapse of the whole U.S. system. You’re saying that you’re studying failed revolutions. My advice to you is to study the Revolution of Ataturk and how Türkiye (the name changed officially from Turkey to Türkiye) was established as a secular country. For instance, our alphabet changed from Arabic to Latin, women were given the equality right with men (i.e. women had the right to vote 30 years before Swiss women), how they changed the way people dressed up, and how they put a secular constitution into effect.
Finally, my advice to you is to watch very closely what happens in Türkiye until 2030 and compare these changes with what happens in the U.S. until 2030. In every country, there are good people and bad people and my wish is that good people are in charge of their countries all over the world.”
Some Realities That Occurred
I sent Emily my reply to the email address she declared to me. As I suspected, the email address turned out to be fake, and the email I sent bounced back. I hope she reads this article as well and corrects her perspective, which is based on a flawed viewpoint.
Besides my reply to Emily above, I am sharing some realities below to deepen my readers’ understanding of the issue:
1) The current U.S. President and the President of Turkey get along very well (I can guess why they get along so well). We have even witnessed Trump repeatedly praising Erdoğan publicly. The previous U.S. President, Biden, was a total enemy of Turkey. He did everything that was against Turkey’s interests. Moreover, he didn’t do this openly; he did it very subtly, smiling to our faces while going behind our backs (The same Biden handed over a strategically important country like Afghanistan to terrorists, wiping out all the effort and expenditure in one fell swoop). He changed the balance between the U.S. and Turkey. Trump, in this sense, is in a gray area.
2) Israel is reacting negatively to the Erdoğan Administration. The question remains: who will have the final say in the region? We are witnessing a wrestling match.
3) The cards are being reshuffled in the region:
a) Despite general public opposition, the Greek Gvernment has moved towards strategic cooperation with Israel on all issues. They have also included Cyprus in this cooperation.
b) The U.S. withdrew its support for the Kurds and declared its support for the Syrian Army, led by former terrorist and current president Shara, in clearing the region of ISIS.
c) Iran, the Iran we know. Over 15,000 people lost their lives in the uprisings there; the outcome remained the same, the revolution did not happen. It’s a tragedy for these people.
After all these observations, I can say that Turkey will once again change the balance of power in the region. What happens in Turkey will fundamentally change the balance of power in the entire region. Therefore, as I mentioned, watch what happens in Turkey up until 2030. My hope is that Turkey will emerge from this process stronger enough to become a guarantor of peace and stability in the region.
Note: Recently, I saw a Netflix film starring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, which they co-produced. In the recently released film ‘The Rip,’ Matt Damon’s explanation of the meaning of his tattoos perfectly reflects what I want to convey in this essay. Lieutenant Dane Dumars and his crew in the series are exactly the type of people I seek in every country. I’m sharing the film’s trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeR5bcbRPak
In the film, the character Lieutenant Dumars, played by Matt Damon, lost his son to cancer when he was a child, and the son’s last words to his father before dying reflect my feelings: “Are we the good guys?” Dumars gets a tattoo of the abbreviation of this question on his right hand: A.W.T.G.G.
His father answers his son’s last question before he dies: “We are and always will be,” meaning “We are good people and we will always remain so,” and he gets the abbreviation “W.A.A.W.B.” tattooed on his left hand.
When he says, “There are good people and bad people in every country, and my wish is that good people come to power everywhere in the world,” he’s referring to the kind of people Lieutenant Dumars and his team in the film: honest, principled, respectful of people, capable of dealing with criminals, meritorious, and working for a more livable world and for all living beings.
