TR 
EN
Immediately after Donald Trump's election as President of the United States for the second time, his unorthodox political style has started to occupy the world agenda. Everyone is confused. Every day a new surprise decision is announced. Years ago, when Fukuyama wrote in his article “The End of History?”, he showed a very unrealistic approach based on liberal democracy. Over the years, it has become clear that even if societies are governed by liberal democracy, the facts are related to how the rulers implement this democracy. From this point of view, we will see in the coming period whether this will be the end of history as Fukuyama claims or the end of Trump and even the US. In this context, it seems that the repercussions of the US domestic politics will put our region and the world into a different security configuration.
The prosecution of Trump before the presidential election, the assassination attempt on Trump, the cracks over Ukraine and Israel were just the tip of the iceberg. It seems that there may be a deep reckoning in the country. I am of the opinion that it does not matter whether you are a Republican or a Democrat. Therefore, the role of international interest groups in the showdown should not be ignored.
Why is Trump not accepted by some practitioners of the establishment? In fact, Trump and his opponents are not fundamentally at odds with US interests. They differ in their approach to the facts and methodology. It is true that Trump is an outlier and acts with the logic of a merchant. The “structure” that Trump is up against forces economically weak societies to accept the policies of the United States, which they see as the strongest representative of liberalism. While they are doing this covertly, Trump is playing it more overtly and trying to raise the stakes by targeting some countries of the Western bloc.
However, we are not in the 20th century and the US is being challenged by competitors, big and small. That is why the US military has to be present and fight on many fronts. It has a deterrent effect in some places, but it is not enough to break the resolve and will of many opponents. Not to mention the wear and tear on its military. It is no longer possible to achieve its political goals with the power it has. Because they are pushing a claim based on image and detached from reality. In the first term of his presidency, Trump declared that the commanders did not like him, that they wanted perpetual war everywhere so that the arms companies would be happy.
Although Fukuyama's thesis on history, presented under the guise of liberalism, has come to naught, the failure to fulfill expectations in Iraq and Afghanistan, for example, does not stop this counter-“structure” and those who pursue image in order not to fall behind them.
Consequently, from the Vietnam war to the present day, the claim that a “structure” formed by some ivory towers has been mortgaging the mind of the White House has always been on the agenda. From this perspective, one may wonder whether the new government will take any measures against this dominant “structure”. This “structure”, which tends to solve critical international problems with harsh interventions, can create manipulations at home and abroad. On the other hand, Trump's unpredictable moves have turned into taking heads from within instead of providing balance from the outset.
On the other hand, the “Trumpist” model imposes a situation in the international order that will also challenge the Western Bloc, of which it is a part. One reason for this may be the tensions between dreams and realities that the Western bloc is experiencing as it confronts Russia and China. For example, while ambitious decisions were being taken against Russia and China at the NATO Summit in Madrid in 2022, simultaneously, the EU Central Banking Forum in Sintra, Portugal was discussing how EU countries would survive the winter.
In the face of these dilemmas and weaknesses of the West, it is now difficult for the US alone to foot the bill for the problems that arise. It is trying to change the rules of the game by using its hegemonic power, even against some of its allies when necessary. This must be the reason why it is trying to establish domination over geographies close to it and rich in natural resources... But it is very difficult this way.
On the other hand, for example, it has not yet made a clear decision on whether to withdraw troops from Syria. This is due to the differences between the political approaches of the domestic actors. Even though Trump is in office, it is too early to say that he is all-powerful. While it is clear that the benefits achieved in Syria do not serve US interests, the pressures of the interest groups within the “structure” outweigh for now. For this, it is enough just to look at vague official statements.
These groups, which are connected to state institutions at different levels, still retain the power to directly influence US administrations and public opinion. Even in their retirement, some of their members have produced commentaries that pit civilizations against each other. In our country, some liberal dreamers referenced this nonsense and used it in their writings and presentations.
Let us explain what these interest groups are. These structures, which can exert pressure on US governments, are composed of a number of think tanks and arms and oil companies. They have taken advantage of the political and personal moral weaknesses of some important people. On the other hand, the environment and relationships they have created have also corrupted the values of some state institutions.
For example, the case of Senator Menendez, who is against Turkey, is a typical example of this. This man was an obstacle in front of every good deed. He had complex relations with the organizations within this structure and was very influential on military aid to foreign countries. But in the end he was found guilty of bribery, corruption and spying for Egypt.
Another striking example is the Pentagon's difficulty in submitting its accounting records over the past few years. It appears that the Defense Department has been unable to submit its audits since 2018. Only 39 percent of the $3.5 trillion allocated in the budget two years ago can be accounted for. On the other hand, the excessive and indifferent military aid to Ukraine, for example, has also become a strain on the budget.
While the politics and bureaucracy of a country that is expected to go into recession are in this state, the states have infrastructure problems, the number of homeless and unemployed is increasing. Disasters such as storms, floods and forest fires are straining the country in every sense.
Trump's aggressive anti-thesis against a thesis that sees the world in the wrong way could make matters even more complicated. He has already started with the slaughter of bureaucrats. He wants political control over Canada and Greenland. He is announcing tariffs on neighboring countries and the EU. A break with reality for a new image or a real overhaul? We face the danger of a drifting world that has lost its factual truths.
If there is lightning but we do not yet hear thunder, we should not be complacent and think that bad weather is far away from us. When the thunder starts, every three seconds between it and the lightning is half a nautical mile (about 1 km). Before it is too late, as a country, we need to move away from international memorized paradigms and unnecessary dealing with each other to a structure that thinks the unthinkable. We are in a period when we need the principle of realism of the great leader Atatürk more than ever. Stay in peace
Sources:
Gürbüz, Kahraman, ''Fukuyama's End of History Liberal Democracy Claim and State Construction on the Road to Liberalism'', Universal Journal of History and Culture, pages 190,192, 03 October 2023, https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/3339261 (Last Access Date: January 31, 2025)
Arendt, Hannah, ''The Lie in Politics'', pages 46, 48, 85, Selyayıncılık, Istanbul, 2021.
''US Senator Bob Menendez found guilty of bribery and corruption'', Euro News, July 16, 2024, https://tr.euronews.com/2024/07/16/abdli-senator-bob-menendez-rusvet-ve-yolsuzluktan-suclu-bulundu (Last Accessed: January 30, 2025)
''Trump: Commanders don't like me because they want war'', TRT Haber, September 08, 2020, https://www.trthaber.com/haber/dunya/trump-komutanlar-beni-sevmiyorlar-cunku-savas-istiyorlar-514689.html (Last Accessed on January 30, 2025)
Insinna, Valerie, '''Not the progress I would have hoped for': Pentagon fails latest financial audit'', Breaking Defense, November 16, 2022, https://breakingdefense.com/2022/11/not-the-progress-i-would-have-hoped-for-pentagon-fails-latest-financial-audit/ (Last accessed January 30, 2025)
