Dr Atac Thank you for your long and passionate response.
Dr. Mustafa Atac’s recent open letter, though emotionally charged and eloquently delivered, reads less as a fair-minded critique of Türkiye’s present condition and more as an overextended lament rooted in selective outrage and outdated narratives. As someone who deeply values the principles of civic discourse and constructive dissent, I feel compelled to respond—not out of blind loyalty to any individual or government, but out of respect for the truth and the dignity of the Republic of Türkiye.
Dr. Atac laments that Türkiye is economically isolated, diplomatically desperate, and intellectually bankrupt. These are serious claims. But are they true?
Let’s begin with the economy. Contrary to Dr. Atac’s assertion that Türkiye is “excluded from serious international financial circles,” recent data reveals the opposite. In 2023, Türkiye saw a 25.9% increase in foreign direct investment (FDI), with notable inflows from the UK, Germany, and the U.S.—nations known for their financial due diligence. Türkiye continues to attract global capital in logistics, fintech, infrastructure, and energy. It is no secret that Türkiye faces challenges, including inflation and high interest rates, but to declare it an economic pariah is demonstrably false.
The portrayal of Türkiye’s education system as devolved into “a madrassa” ignores both facts and nuance. Turkish universities such as Koc, Bilkent, and Middle East Technical University consistently rank within the top 500–600 globally, according to QS and THE (Times Higher Education) rankings. Türkiye is also a key participant in the European Higher Education Area through the Bologna Process and hosts over 300,000 international students—a testament to its growing global academic appeal. The same institutions have trained engineers who developed drone technologies now exported to NATO members, such as Poland and the UK. That is not a failed system; that is a transforming one.
Dr. Atac also evokes preess freedom and judicial independence, citing various Western rankings. Yet the same rankings routinely downplay systemic abuses in their own backyards. When France detains over 11,000 protesters during the Yellow Vest movement or when journalists in the U.S. are jailed while covering civil unrest, no one questions the democratic character of those states. Why then does Türkiye’s struggle against terrorism, foreign subversion, and the remnants of a violent coup receive no such contextual consideration?
Let’s not forget that many of the so-called “journalists” imprisoned in Türkiye post-2016 were found to be complicit in the FETÖ-led coup attempt. Encrypted communications via By Lock, militaery coordination, and direct involvement in the July 15 tragedy are well-documented. It is not dissent that was punished—it was treason.
Dr. Atac sneers at Türkiye’s alliances with Qatar and Oman, as if diplomacy with non-Western partners is inherently suspect. Yet Türkiye maintains robust ties with Germany, the UK, Itaaly, and Japan, and sits at the G20 table, not as a guest, but as a permanent member. It hosts NATO’s second largest military, plays a key role in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, and leads humanitarian aid convoys to Gaza and Ukraine alike. This is not isolationism , itt is strategic pluralism.
Yes, there are challenges as Inflation must be controlled, and bureaucracy modernized. just two are valid points deserving of nuanced debate. But equating Türkiye’s evolution to North Korea’s oppression or Russia’s autocracy is not debate, it is distortion.
One cannot claim to uphold Atatürk’s legacy while dismissing Türkiye’s national achievements as mere propaganda. Atatürk was not only a revolutionary but also a realist a leader who demanded progress be grounded in national sovereignty, self reliance, and global presence. Türkiye’s military drone industry, its diplomatic activism, and its investment in critical infrastructure reflect precisely that spirit.
To critique is a right, even a duty, in a republic. But critique without proportion, without fairness, and without factual foundation becomes what Dr. Atac himself warns against: a betrayal not of the government, but of the very Republic he claims to defend.
In today’s Türkiye, there is space for dissent. The opposition governs major cities like İstanbul, Ankara, and İzmir. The Constitutional Court continues to rule independently. And millions vote in fair, competitive elections with turnout rates that shame much of the democratic world.
If one chooses to speak of Türkiye’s future, let it be done with courage but also with clarity. Let it be done with love not just for what we remember, but for what we are still building. Also, one should not be disparaged or vilified for holding a differing opinion. If the freedoms you invoke are only extended to those who share your particular worldview esspecially when that worldview is steeped in relentless criticism and hostility toward Türkiye then they cease to be freedoms at all and instead become instruments of intellectual exclusion.
Let us be very clear, Dr. Atac: Türkiye is not perfect but it is far from broken or in disarray, as your narrative suggests.
If you are searching for signs of a nation in crisis, you need only look at the United States. Here, citizens are at times arrested on the streets without due process; elected judges are removed from their courtrooms; city elected officials are taken into custody without being read their rights. Billions of taxpayer dollars are poured into endless wars, while over $15 billion has been funneled into sustaining the Netanyahu government despite its role in brutal campaigns that have drawn international condemnation.
In America, a citizen can be gunned down with 35 bullets into their bodies for JUST making eye contact with the wrong police officer and if you are lucky if your family will find your body . So before you accuse Türkiye of institutional collapse, perhaps turn your lens toward the realities unfolding in your own environment with the venom of hate dripping fromyour lips .
As for your claim that I am a “mouthpiece” of Ankara—how dare you? You do not know me? Sir, You have never sat with me, Sir, never asked whom I voted for, never once attempted to understand my beliefs. You attack from afar with venomous words, but you know nothing of the person you seek to discredit.
If you seek a professional debate, I welcome it anywhere, anytime. I will personally sponsor your travel to New York City and host you at New York University for an open forum. If New York is too far, I will gladly bring you to my village of Demirhisar in Rize’s Cayeli district. Perhaps the breathtaking beauty of the Black Sea, my village of Demirhisar and the sincere hospitality of our people will soften the bitterness in your heart toward the freely elected government of the Republic of Türkiye founded by none other than Mustafa Kemal Atatürk himself. Until then, I urge you to raise your critique with honesty and clarity not with the language of exclusion, not with personal insults, and certainly not with a tone that denies others their right to hold a different view point.
And if we are to elevate the our NATO ally of the Republic of Turkiye, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s Turkiye, it will not be through despairing editorials and historical amnesia , but through unity, reform, pride, and above all, honesty.
Ibrahim Kurtulus
Demirhisar Koy – Rize – Cayeli
New York
