ÇETİN AY, "AMERICA IS FALLING APART"

International businessman Çetin Ay shared his observations.

Recently, Donald Trump called for a harsh crackdown on university protests in California. California Governor Gavin Newsom, however, emphasized the need to protect rights and freedoms. This small clash was a reflection of a larger tension growing within America. The US administration has been widening the gap between itself and its own people in recent years.

Democracy, freedom, human rights—concepts used for years to lecture the world—are now facing a serious test domestically.

The system's greatest concern is no longer external threats, but growing internal unrest. And there's a truth that's not often discussed but felt by many: the logic of the Greater Middle East Project (GMEP) is being effectively implemented in America today. "The GMEP is not a geography, it's a method," says

international businessman and political analyst Çetin Ay. "To divide society, to turn the people against each other, and to transform the state into a security-oriented structure. Today, this method is being staged on the streets of the US." Look around you: the social tension between the right and the left has never been this intense. Young and old now live in different worlds. New areas of conflict are emerging based on ethnic and cultural identities. Expectations for social and economic justice are steadily weakening. None of these developments are coincidental. A conscious and systematic policy of polarization is being implemented. And this is paving the way for the state to increase its security measures.

Çetin Ay interprets this situation as follows: “When people in a country don't trust each other, the state's security-oriented policies are more easily accepted by society. This is exactly what is happening in America right now.” Today, the primary reflex of the US state is increasingly shifting from ensuring social security to preventing and managing potential internal conflicts. The increasing use of harsh interventions in campus demonstrations is just a small example of this. The equipping of police departments with heavy weapons and military vehicles, and the preparation of security units for potential social unrest scenarios, are clear indicators of a new trend.

Çetin Ay assesses this situation as follows: “Another effect of the Greater Middle East Project is to transform states into security-prioritized structures. Today, the American state is building a vast internal security network beyond its classic state identity. This points to a fragile process in terms of social balance.” Polarization is one of the most fundamental tools of the Greater Middle East Project (BOP). It has exploited different social fault lines in different countries. In America, ideological and social polarization is being deepened. In this environment, people find it difficult to form a common social will. Different segments of society are distant and distrustful of each other. The state, in turn, can more easily implement its increasingly divisive security policies.

Çetin Ay warns about this process: “When the sense of a shared future weakens in a society, the trust relationship between the state and the people also erodes. If this polarization continues, American society will face serious social problems.” So where could this process lead? A spark – a harsh intervention in a demonstration, a court decision, a social event… Such developments can trigger a mass reaction. And the state's security reflexes may become even more severe.

Çetin Ay summarizes the risks of this stage as follows: “If trust between the state and its people is lost and security measures intensify, the democratic balance of society is jeopardized. This could, in the long run, herald much greater problems.” When a state begins to act with a security reflex instead of a focus on social unity, democracy suffers. In America today, this danger is becoming increasingly visible. What is most striking is this: methods once exported to the world are now shaking the internal balance of the countries where they are applied.

Çetin Ay concludes his remarks with this warning: “The Greater Middle East Project is now operating in America. If societies do not awaken, the people themselves will ultimately pay the highest price in the end.”