The People's Protection Units in northern Syria are one of the most important problems in the Turkish-American relations file (Al Jazeera)

During my time in government;

I attended official meetings in the White House and Congress several times, and I think the most difficult times were during the Obama and Bush eras. I had the opportunity to meet Obama when he came to Turkey. He was very wonderful and had a strange way of communicating with people.

I believe that the “calm position” - in general - plays a decisive role in Turkish-American relations;

In 2005, at the White House, an advisor to President Bush told the delegation I was part of at the meeting: “It's as if you were waving the flag in the Middle East. Your Parliament did not authorize American soldiers to pass through your country on March 1. Anti-American books and films are published and statements are made: “What is happening to you?”;

It seemed like a condescending conversation and made us uncomfortable.

at that time;

As a young political consultant;

I felt the need to respond, so I said: “Turkey is now making its foreign policy by putting its own interests first. As for the books and films published, they are not comparable to your Hollywood products.”

The United States of America does not like independent countries

I remembered those days when Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Intelligence Director Ibrahim Kalin went to the United States last week;

Foreign Minister Fidan announced that he hopes to open a new page with the United States.

He added: "Right now, and especially at this stage, we have the opportunity to continue on our path with a renewed psychology, a more positive agenda, and turning over a new leaf. Both countries have the memory and reflexes when it comes to crisis management."

He continued: "It is important to manage the problems we are currently facing, while recognizing the common potential and opportunities that the two countries can produce."

In reality;

US relations with Turkey stem from a positioning problem, and as with the temperament of Obama or Bush's advisors, relations do not improve because of a situation in which Turkey is looked down upon and is thought to be able to do whatever it wants.

The United States does not accept that Turkey is now a regional power, and that it has its own independent economy, foreign policy, and defense industry. Trump feels he has the right to make disrespectful threats, saying: “Send a tweet and the economy will collapse.” Before President Biden was elected, he saw it as natural to intervene. In the internal affairs of the country;

Because "we must support the opposition and overthrow Erdogan."

The United States wants all giants to depend on it and does not like independent countries.

If a country becomes independent in three areas, there will be a coup

Large countries build their relations with small countries on dependency and benefit, and these are called “space situations.”

If a small country or a weak country wants to emerge from the state of a dependent state, it must be independent in 3 areas:

1- An independent, self-sufficient economy.

2- An independent defense industry to meet the needs of the army.

3- An independent foreign policy that takes into account the interests of her country.

If a subordinate state undertakes initiatives for independence in these three areas and succeeds in some of them;

An attempt is made to maintain the status quo by carrying out a coup in that country, and this happened to Turkey. This was exactly the reason behind the coup attempt on July 15, 2016;

The terrorist organization "FETO" attempted to carry out the coup, and the leader of "FETO" is still under protection in America.

The United States does not have a consistent policy in the Middle East

I argue that US foreign policy has long been non-strategic and largely unsuccessful, and images of US soldiers fleeing Afghanistan are the most famous images of its recent failed foreign policy.

The United States does not have a deep, long-term, rational plan for the Middle East based on common interests.

Aside from its protectionist regional policy focused on Israel;

It suffers from an inconsistency in doing anything at any time, and is trying to force the Kurdistan Workers' Party, the arch enemy of Turkey, its strategic partner for 50 years, to establish a small state in Syria.

While a president may declare Iran an enemy;

Another president might declare her a friend, and this is what happened in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt.

Unrest, civil conflicts, and coups were frequent in these countries, and because of these contradictions, the Middle East is in a state of complete chaos.

Opening a new page with Türkiye is difficult

Unless the United States changes its view, it will be very difficult to turn a new leaf with Turkey;

The sham state created by the People's Protection Units in northern Syria is one of the biggest problems, and the second problem is that the leader of the terrorist "FETO" organization, which attempted a coup in Turkey and as a result of which more than two hundred people were martyred;

He lives in a villa in the US state of Pennsylvania.

But what I have been saying from the beginning is the most serious problem: that the United States of America must establish a relationship with Turkey that enjoys the status of an independent and equal state, taking into account mutual interests.

Unless you do this, it will not be possible to open a new clean slate.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Al Jazeera.