The values the U.S. is using in its relations with Turkey for the sake of saving Pastor Andrew Brunson recall the situation in the well-known Hollywood production, “Saving Private Ryan,” in which almost an entire army was sacrificed. It is obvious that the significance the U.S. attaches to Pastir Brunson is much greater than thought. So much so that all law-related claims, all interests concerning international relations, NATO alliances, the strategic cooperations in the Middle East and othe historical relations are being used for his sake and all at once. That a series of dark relations have been revealed because of him is also of no concern.
Regardless of how we tackle the situation, there is a huge divide between the U.S.'s recently appearing political mind and ineptness and the scientific, political, historical and political experience that has made America the world's number one country in many areas.
The U.S. is a country that is home to the world's biggest and best universities, the most important scientists and technicians, experts in their fields, intellectuals and scholars. This, reflecting on its management in every area, makes it the world's number one in numerous fields. Frankly, what has brought the U.S. to this level, what has largely supported and led this development, what has planned and implemented is has been the political mind. However, the divide between the politics governing the U.S. these days and what it produced from the past to the present is widening a little more by the day.
The U.S. administration's reactions due to the Brunson case are not actions that can be expected to come from a state like the U.S. Yet, we are sure that the same can be seen and is received with the same surprise by those who follow the U.S. administration and know what is reasonable for it. Essentially, even though time to time Turkey-U.S. relations get caught up in such zigzags due to the different approaches and quests of some administrators, it should bbe constantly evaluated again on the basis of the more objective interest relations they depend on.
Of course, Turkey is no longer a country that any U.S. administration can control as they wish. Turkey is now a lot stronger and independent both economically and socially and in terms of political will. If the U.S. is thinking about and looking out for its own interests, it should not resort to anything other than approaching Turkey with this in mind. On the condition that it respects Turkey's independence and appreciates the historic and cultural position it represents, it has no other better ally in the region than Turkey.
Of course, there is a fundamental opposition with the intruding, expansionist and aggressive Zionism in the cultural and historic position it needs to appreciate. Of course we are not ignoring that it is not easy to explain to the U.S. despite its democratic, intellectual and scientific background.
In his meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Singapore, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu reiterated that "no conclusion can be reached by threatening Turkey and through sanctions," and added that the option of cooperation with respect to how problems can be solved together must be kept available. As a result, the U.S. needs to know that it cannot get even the smallest country to obey it with such a threat and that behaving this way will make things even more complex than they already are.
Meanwhile, the language used by both U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence to save Pastor Brunson by disregarding all the court procedures in Turkey, what they have been telling us until now in their own country as well, confesses that the story is not true. There is a Turkish proverb that explains this situation as "giving up the truth about one's wrongdoings while talking about their own heroism."
Because they almost told a legend about how the law in their own country runs independently regarding the Fetullah Terror Organization (FETÖ) leader, whose terrorist actions have been proven, and regarding the judgment of the deputy general manager of a bank in Turkey, who committed no crime in their country. They expect everybody to believe the legend they tell about how no politician can intervene in the judiciary regarding this matter. Yet, they have the audacity to intervene in the judiciary in Turkey's judgment with reasonable and sufficient evidence of someone who is clearly linked to two terrorist organizations, has aided them and is in cooperation with them.
It has become mandatory for U.S. officials to definitely consider these two matters together for the sake of protecting their own legend. If they believe that Brunson can be saved with the decision of politicians in Turkey, then the judgment of the Halkbank vice general manager is the result of their own arbitrary/political decisions and, if they want to be consistent regarding that matter, in any case, they need to release Hakan Atilla and hand over the FETÖ leader to Turkey regardless of any court decision or procedure.
If they are reminding of the judiciary's independence, there is great benefit to remind themselves when going out to save Brunson with all their valor and bullying. Otherwise, they will have to sacrifice a dozen American soldiers and several American interests to save Private Brunson - but the ending will be nothing like that in the movie. Brunson might have to complete the rest of his life in Turkish prisons as the last victim of this arrogant fury.
On a different note, a question that will require us to read everything we wrote all over again: Do the politicians acting on behalf of the U.S. today really want to save Brunson, are they sacrificing him to a process which the real aim is to further sour Turkish-American ties?
Because hasn't such a crisis breaking out the day he was taken out of prison and put under house arrest made saving Brunson - who seemed to be on the path to freedom - more difficult? If that is the case, then for which of their plans are those acting on behalf of the U.S. sacrificing Bruson? There is benefit in looking at the issue from this angle too.
