Turkey was supposed to be “little America” – not vice versa

Since Turkey’s accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in the 1950s, Turkish mainstream politicians have promised their constituencies to transform Turkey into “little America”. Grandfathered into this promise was the electorate’s expectation that Turkey’s economic and social development would improve to match the welfare of their American brethren.

In the post-War environment where the doctrine of Pax Americana – despite its flaws – was popular because it ensured global peace and stability, this promise made perfect sense. While consecutive Turkish governments have failed to deliver on this promise, the exact opposite transformation is seemingly taking place in the United States. It is now fair to say that the global democratic community suffers legitimate concerns about the state of American Democracy.

America: A north Star for younger democracies

While the American economy is headed for another recession, societal unrest and political polarization have reached previously unimaginable heights. American democracy and its unique checks and balances system is failing to formulate solutions to the increasingly structural problems that Americans are facing.

Traditionally, America’s unique system of political governance has acted as a global north star for younger democracies. The key to success of the American system used to be embedded in the fact that the “Government” is effectively formed by two separate but interdependent entities, i.e. the Administration of the President of the United States and U.S. Congress. As one Congressional leader once commented: “the President of the United States is the most powerful person in the World. He can do anything he wants. As long as it doesn’t cost any money.”

Surely, it would be a mistake to attribute every contemporary problem in American politics to the election of former President Donald Trump. And there is no question that the oldest democracy in the World has run into difficulties before while we can all agree that there is no such thing as perfect governance. However, the upset caused by Donald Trump’s entry into the political arena is unprecented and has done more structural damage to the functioning of American institutions than any crisis that the country has faced before.

Problems were there before Trump; but…

The Trump phenomenon has severely undermined the basic functioning of checks and balances and mutua fides between key institutions such as the White House National Security Council, U.S. Congress and the Departments of State, Justice and Defense. The lack of trust between these institutions and the Office of the President of the United States has culminated into Trump bypassing these institutions and resorting to running the country through social media based on populist demand. Subsequently, Trump’s political success has caused others to copy his modus operandus leading to populist tyranny in the oldest democracy in the World.

Sadly, the judicial branch has not proven immune to this wave of populism and increasingly partisan judges and prosecutors have done their share in undermining the harmony of the system. People with very limited judicial and/or academic experience have been appointed to high-level positions based on loyalty to their political masters rather than their professional merits. And societal turmoil caused by recent decisions of the Supreme Court offer a glimpse into what to expect in the near future.

Capitol riots: A symptom of the erositon

Perhaps the most disturbing symptom of the erosion of American Democracy has been the January 6, 2021 protests where Trump supporters occupied U.S. Congress with the explicit aim of preventing that institution from ratifying the election of President Joe Biden. Recent Congressional hearings have exposed that former President Trump and some of his close advisors fueled these events and even considered seizing ballot boxes. While most Americans classify these events as an insurrection and the World has been witness to heavy sentencing of some perpetrators, the fact that the main instigator of this insurrection escapes justices, has severely undermined people’s trust in the system.

While Trump continues to escape justice, his successor President Biden has failed to deliver on his promise to build back better. Instead of repairing the broken system, Mr. Biden has made matters worse; especially by continuing the Turkish tradition of prosecutions and judicial appointments based on transactional and temporary political interests rather than objective national interest.

To borrow a line from one of the most eminent Cold War experts, Mr. John Lewis Gaddis,  “we now know” that while Turkey has failed its ambitions to become a little America, American politicians are rapidly turning their county into a United States of Turkey.