When the Jeffrey Epstein files first surfaced, the expectation was: names would be revealed, networks would be unraveled, and global elites would be held accountable. Years have passed; millions of pages of documents have been published, countless headlines have been made, but only one feeling remains: a great incompleteness. Because everyone has realized that the files exist, but the real picture is missing.
Today we know that the Epstein files are not a simple scandal that can be packaged under the heading of a "client list." These files bear the traces of a global power network where politics, finance, intelligence, and high society intersect. But precisely for this reason, as much as can be revealed, it is being revealed. When we look at the names mentioned in the documents, the picture is not surprising. Former presidents, ministers, and famous lawyers from the US; members of the royal family from the UK; a former prime minister from Israel; diplomats and businesspeople from Europe... The common point among them all is this: their names appear in the files, but the vast majority of them face no charges. Because being included in the file often simply means having a flight record, a photograph, an email, or an invitation. At this point, it's crucial to make a key distinction: the Epstein files are not a list of convictions, but a contact map. And contact maps become blurred as you approach centers of power. What about Turkey? This question is frequently asked, particularly in Turkish public opinion, and the answer must be clear: there is no verified, name-by-name list from Turkey in the officially released Epstein files. The documents released to the public by the US Department of Justice and the FBI contain no clear and confirmed records of Turkish politicians, bureaucrats, or businesspeople. The claims circulating on social media, some media headlines, and behind-the-scenes rumors have not been legally or documentaryly verified to date. This doesn't mean "Turkey is absent"; it means "there is no proven data about Turkey." The difference is important: because a large portion of the Epstein files are still shrouded in secrecy, and data regarding some countries is far more limited than others. This tells us that the way the files are opened is as political as their scope. This is where the realist perspective comes into play.
For states, the main issue is not moral cleansing, but the continuity of the system. Figures like Epstein, regardless of their individual crimes, are “intermediate actors” who can move between different centers of power. Fully exposing these actors would call into question not only the individuals but also the system that made them possible. And most states don't want to risk that debate. That's why the files are opened piecemeal. Names are taken out of context. The crime is individualized as much as possible. Epstein dies, Maxwell is convicted, but the network remains. This is not a conspiracy; this is a silent alignment of interests. No one needs to make a deal in a secret room. Power knows how to protect itself. This is where the truly devastating effect of the Epstein files emerges. The discourse of “the rule of law,” “transparency,” and “rules-based order,” which the West has championed for years, has suffered a serious loss of credibility with these files. Because the world has seen that when the law clashes with power, it can retreat. This undermines not only the US or the UK, but the entire claim to a liberal order. Ultimately, the picture that remains is this: some countries are involved, some are not. Some names are mentioned, others are whispered about. For Turkey, there is currently no "name" in the official records; but the files themselves teach us this: the most important thing in this story is not whose name is mentioned, but why some names are not mentioned. The Epstein files can be closed. Documents can be suppressed. But the breach that has been opened cannot be closed: justice in global politics is not always an equally distributed concept. And some truths are too expensive to reveal.