Young diplomat Aybars Oztuna is a prominent figure in US-Türkiye relations. His active stint includes roles such as CEO of the Geospatial Intelligence Institute, Head of Geoint & Türkiye Representative at Geostrata, and Fellow at Casus Diplomacy and the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Relations. We asked him for his perspective on the President-Elect’s upcoming term.
Rose Wells, MSNBC 24: How would you describe Trump’s entry into the political scene and his journey from his first presidential candidacy to the present day?
Aybars Oztuna: In 2016, during Trump’s presidential campaign, I was continuing my high school education in Canada. I was the President of the Student Parliament, and everyone, knowing my keen interest in international relations, would ask me about it. The general expectation was that Hillary would win. I would start my discussions by showing the two books I carried in my school bag and asking which book they thought would win. One of the books was Hillary Clinton’s, and the other was Trump’s “Make America Great Again.” I would point out that I enjoyed reading Clinton’s book more and that its print quality was higher. However, in political campaigns, the reality is different. Political communication prioritizes simplicity, slogans, and calls to action, and most importantly, it should be written in plain language. Moreover, the lower print quality of Trump’s book reduced its price and increased its accessibility, allowing it to be easily distributed or purchased and read in American towns.
After this example, I will talk about America’s electoral college system and continue by discussing the strengths and weaknesses of each presidential candidate’s campaign. Ultimately, Trump was elected president, and after completing my high school education, I went to America in 2019 with a scholarship for my university education. President Trump was in office, and I started my studies in Tampa, Florida, a Republican state.
During this period, I worked in various jobs, joined clubs, held various leadership positions, and achieved my goal of completing a four-year university degree in two years with honors. The likelihood of achieving this in another country was significantly lower. I must admit that if I were to attend university in America under the same conditions today, I would be able to accomplish only half of what I did back then, and it would take twice as long. The main reasons for this include the management style, policy preferences, economy, inflation, and the poor administration after Trump. I’m sorry, but the period after Trump was indeed a time of poor governance.
While still in university, I owe a lot to the system that provided opportunities for a twenty-year-old student in America to intern on Capitol Hill based on certain merit criteria and subsequent interviews, to attend Young Americans for Liberty meetings, and to win the Republican Youth Leadership Fellowship. Today, I believe that this spirit and system will continue effectively, even with a more dedicated team. Policies will undoubtedly be formed with tougher and more effective decisions, and one of the most important factors for this will be gaining a majority in the Senate.
Rose Wells, MSNBC 24: Can you evaluate the policies Trump is likely to pursue in the upcoming term?
Aybars Oztuna: In the upcoming term, it is likely that we will encounter more realistic examples in global diplomacy. Trump’s realism will be strongly felt in both domestic and foreign policies.
Rose Wells, MSNBC 24: How do you evaluate the future of Turkish-American relations?
Aybars Oztuna: I had the honor of following the election at the invitation reception of Mr. Michael Goldman, the Chargé d’Affaires of the Turkish American Embassy. I continue to contribute through the Turkish-American Association, think tanks, our embassies, and academic work. We are the second most important country in NATO and have the second largest army. We must work with all our strength to ensure that our relations with America continue to strengthen.
