Racist, vote-suppressing, electoral-college, Republican America isn't all peaches either.
In fact Turks enjoy one benefit denied by the white-man's @GOP:
Even authoritarian Turkey lets their Working People vote on a weekend. Take that smug Americans.
23
While Turkey is "inching closer to Russia and Iran," the Trump administration is selling Turkey our most advanced F-35 stealth fighter aircraft. I hope that The Ayatollah and Mr. Putin write thank-you notes, because it has been a long time since they have been voluntarily gifted such sensitive military intelligence by our home-grown super-patriots.
17
June 23, 2018
The genius and glory of Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is his world order diplomacy balance the casts of nations in then Arab Spring to the endless Syria debacle while tolerating the Persians competing forces to dethrone Erdogan.
So it is that the complexities of this arena both for domestic and in the region politics is just to frightening for any but him.
The times makes the man and with the will of the divine authority this contest will be an important sign to as well give momentum to the likes of Val Putin - but - but there is always a but, what happens to NATO or EU in terms of Turkey well with stay as you go Turkey more of the same is the same - history in about centuries not decades, truly. Especially when the arch of leadership is by the power and graces of the highest authority and that does't mean Trump a contender for the Noble Peace Prize via Asia geopolitics indeed.
jja Manhattan, N.Y.
2
Even if he loses Erdogan won’t go away quietly. More than likely (should he lose) he will come up with something to invalidate the election. He can of course consult with his Trump how to get around it. Rigged election?
11
A recent Times article described the massive infrastructure projects both realized and proposed by the Erdogan government, most with the not so subtle purpose of self-glorification. A similar piece a few years ago featured ones in China. Although many of these structures are magnificent, they are inevitably tinged by corruption and many remain underused boondoggles. We can tsk-tsk at this flagrant waste and cronyism, but on the other hand, we have a President who ran, in part, on rebuilding our infrastructure, and is no less dictatorial in tendencies than his confreres in Turkey and China. One purpose of this "plan" was to encourage millions of dispirited men, presumably Trump voters, back into the workforce. In the mean time, all he and his GOP enablers have done is succeeded in taking the trillions of dollars that might have gone into infrastructure and, with a magic tax cut, handed it over to the wealthy, who will promptly hide it overseas. Even on the spectrum of dictators, there runs a line from competence to incompetence, where Trump is used to calibrate the bottom end of the scale and Xi the upper.
11
Once upon a time there was the 'Old Turkey'; an exotic relic, a stalwart ally of the West in the containment of the Soviet Union, a secular counterweight to the Nassars, Assads, Saddams, Iranians, Lebanese militants and Palestinians.
Meet the 'New Turkey': an aggressive militaristic (almost-not quite) single party police state; the inheritor of the USSR and Stalin, the originator of ISIS (which was and is a Turkish proxy), the training ground for al Qaeda and other jihadi groups, an oppressor of its own people and its neighbors; a beggar state bankrupted by its need for hard currency loans to pay for the one million barrels of oil the country squanders every single day ... the 'New Turkey', whose families endure the return of their sons in boxes from almost endless wars of Erdogan's political choice.
That Erdogan abuses his subjects could be seen during his trips to Washington where his goons assaulted those he doesn't like - including Americans -with impunity.
Two truths: Erdogan will certainly win his fake election - the West finances his follies. The West's error is to ignore the reality of the 'New Turkey' and pretend that Erdogan can be accommodated. Best to cut up Turkey's credit card and see if he can finance his ambitions himself.
11
'Mr. Erdogan is expected to do whatever is necessary to stay in power. '
How one recognizes a fascist dictator. Erodgan is pure evil - authoritarian, brutalist, misogynist, bigoted. He is destroying a beautiful place and people.
NYT, quit calling it 'populism'. The world is enduring descent into fascism - corporatist, oligarchical, banal evil that uses crushing brutality and ruthless propaganda to strip the majority of the population of our wealth, power, and hope, while using terror against one 'the other' after another that the fascists themselves have created to demonstrate their capacity for requiring compliance at any cost through demonstrations like stealing infants from their mothers arms, disappearing female children, flaunting the abuse of mind-altering, potentially lethal drugs on adolescent boys to steal their agency and self-control. Essentially, public acts of torture to control the population.
Erdogan does this. Duterte does this. Trump does this. Jong-Un does this. Al-Assad does this. Maduro does this. Putin does this. Jinping does this. Aliyev does this. Al Saud does this. Millions are subject to other monsters with less influence on the geopolitical, but certainly terrorizing their own and contributing to a zeitgeist of terror.
We are facing a catastrophe as a species. These monsters and their impulses to tyranny and devastation must be put down. The NYT MUST quit coddling these monsters with its inane faith in false equivalency and what-about'ism.
20
There is a story in the SF Chronicle today about the resurgence of the population of ochre starfish along the west coast. In recent years, some 80% of the population suffered a wasting disease caused by pollution. But 20% were immune. That population is now thriving and everybody is happy.
That is the same problem in politics. Erdogan is threatened by a bad economy. The same fate may visit Donald Trump.
Isn't it much better not to make the mistake in the first place than to hope for some mitigating circumstance to save our sorry butts?
5
I wouldn't be surprised if Trump has the CIA interfering in Turkey's election as we speak on the side of Ergodan. Trump nows how to win "rigged" elections.
5
The US is just one breath away from the totalitarianism of Erdogan's Turkey. Control of the media is tantamount to control of people's minds.
Turkey has never been closer to the mindset of the murderous regime of Talaat Pasha and Enver Pasha of the early 20th century as it is under Erdogan today. That need to dehumanize and eliminate all opposition is Erdogan's M-O. That's what Talaat and Enver did in 1915 (plus slaughtering almost two million Armenians and other Christians), it's what Erdogan is doing today, and what our deadly buffoon-in-chief is doing to us now.
When people are so blinded by a leader that they support him without question, those people are like innocent lambs being led to slaughter.
I fear for the Turkish peoples, just as I fear for us.
14
The Turks are a good people. They deserve a lot better than Erdogan! Let's hope for a runoff with Ince! That would be a positive sign that the Turks in a democratic framework are getting fed up with Erdogan!!!
7
Erdogan is a Fascist dictator with dreams of becoming Pasha in a revived Ottoman Empire. His authoritarian rule has trashed the democratic secular principles set down by Atatürk for the Turkish republic's beginning in favor of a backward looking religious autocracy with territorial ambitions, including the slaughter of our brave and loyal Kurdish allies, the YPG, whom he has viciously invaded with his Panzer tanks & troops and even threatening our U.S.Army troops working with the Kurds.
Shamefully, this has persuaded President Trump to cower in face of Erdogan's bullish and public anti-American demands and suggest that the U.S. will quickly pull out of Syria, leaving Erdogan free to become a would-be Mid-Eastern potentate, despite the warnings from the Pentagon of the damage such a move would cause in the fight against ISIS, not to mention a moral obligation to the Kurds.
There seems to be little chance that the Turks themselves will resist their infatuation with Erdogan in the coming elections and reject his rule, but let us hope they will.
7
Undoubtedly there is "meddling" by Russia in this election but you won't hear any complaints. Russia's biggest prize to weaken Turkey as a NATO member.
And Erdogan's reliance on religion to pull him through this election is not a new ploy by an ambitious populist.
I think of Turkey as a trailer for the movie MAGA.
5
To those who say Trump giving access to Turkey is straightforward, because Turkey cosponsored the development of the F-35: Erdogan's subsequent depraved crimes against humanity and destruction of democracy outweigh pay-for-access. Logical, humane limitations are addressed in the bipartisan Senate bill, cosponsored by Senators Lankford/Shaheen/Tillis, in section 1.
7
Progressives still wax eloquent over what they perceived to be the Obama Administration's effective foreign policy. And yet this NATO member has been steadily moving away from NATO and the US for years. It's now on the cusp of becoming a full-throated dictatorship. God willing - he loses this election. However, on the eve of the vote Ergodan is the only one allowed to have TV time. I have every expectation that he's a believer in the Stalin view of voting - what matters is who counts them not who casts them. Shame on America though for not doing more to keep Turkey comfortably within the NATO sphere.
1
Blame this on Obama. That's where this somehow American progressive failure is said to have started. The attack ends with "Shame on America ... for not doing more to keep Turkey comfortably with the NATO sphere," as if we own that country we call Turkey and can "keep" it under our control.
2
I read your last two sentences: "However hard Mr. Erdogan has tried, he has not succeeded in snuffing out political competition. The flame of democracy in one of NATO’s most strategic members has not yet been extinguished in the global tide of populism." And I realized you could substitute "Mr. Trump" for "Mr. Erdogan" and the sentences would still be eerily true. But [insert country here], tough-guy, organized religion and populism is a potent, toxic mix that usually winds up equaling corruption, totalitarian regime, the crumbling of any useful infrastructure, ethnic/minority cleansing, the death of a free press, the death of a viable economy... These things play out in seemingly slow motion when you're in them (as we are in the United States right now), but it is just a snap of the fingers in the dance of history.
3
Agree with your metaphor. For a good parable, watch the Anthony Bourdain Istanbul episode, filmed in 2015.
1
'... There is little foreign investment coming in, and Turkish capital is flowing out, seeking better returns in more stable political environments elsewhere. ..."
Everything depends on money, huh? Democracy (like we have here), etc. The only expat I know (we went to North Africa together) is fond of saying follow the money, honey. It's that way. Always has been. Always will be. Are we supposed to wake up to this? Isn't the ruined planet enough?
5
Everyone keep in mind Trump has been exploring his unilateral powers like the pardon power, and national emergency powers under the National Security Act of 1948.
If he doesn't like the result come 11/18 he can simply declare a national state of emergency and invalidate the result.
In a monumental irony he will blame Russian interference. (Putin will be in Moscow doubled over at this knee-slapper)
He will do this in concert with the Cong/GOPers. They will back it as he will tell them he plans to freeze the current congress in place with them in charge and deny the Dems their seats in return for complete fealty.
They will be standing behind him at the lectern when announces these actions.
Who will stop him?
Nobody I can detect.
6
He's not going away even if he loses.
He holds all the levers of power to repress any opposition.
Look to Trump to imitate this in the upcoming '18 cycle here.
What behaviors has Erdogan or Trump exhibited to make anyone think they will cede power if they lose an election?
And who would force them to?
8
I thought the NYT was against foreigners meddling in our elections but it seems the NYT is just fine meddling in foreign elections.
2
Commentary and coercion are quite different. Plus, it’s the long-standing tradition of journalism that an Editorial Board may voice an opinion based on facts surrounding coverage. I’m just guessing that if the editorial board agreed with you, you’d be cheering. I have many Turkish friends, and Erdogan is governing with fear, even for observant Muslims
13
Providing information isn’t meddling in elections. This comment sounds like a work around for the “fake news” mantra of Trump.
6
Ergodan sounds like Trump’s kinda man.
8
And they're in cahoots. Don't be fooled by the faux-tension. Just one more Putin-style propaganda move to control a narrative.
7
How can you lose an election if you jail or knock off those who oppose you?
8
This is what happens when you mix religion and politics. Same as Iran, and possibly coming to the U.S.
15
Turkey, for ever the “sick man of Europe” now has cancer.
Erdogan has made every wrong move a dictator can make.
His genocidal treatment of the Kurds, his blockade of Armenia, his phony coup de etas concoction has taken Turkey right back to the 1897 Ottoman Empire era. His $600 million dollar 1000 room palace he just built is a clear indication that thinks of himself as a royal emperor. He is pathetic and he’s poison for his country. I feel sorry for modern Turks.
14
Erdogan seems to be another form of Trump. My concern is power in Turkey, USA and potentially in Britain and France—is financed by an overarching Russian propaganda strategy that the West doesn’t fully comprehend—or denies because it benefits political outcomes. The GOP has become the Government of Putin.
Soviet progoganda used to amount to laughable claims in a distant newspaper, but Oligarchical propaganda “infests” the bloodstream of Western Civilization. The tools of the propagandist have gone from a paper network that is traceable to an electronic and intelligent network that is surgical and hard to track.
These oligarch actors live at the top end of our society with access to the elite 98% of the population doesn’t have. Moreoever we look at each country in isolation, not near suing the broad assault on our institutions.
If there is a wall to be built it’s an information and financial wall between us and Russia. Hopefully Erdegon is at least heavily tested or what looks like a Russian attack on civilization.
11
Spot on.
5
What you don't understand is that your editorial narrative on the eve of the election day only supports Erdogan, as this will be used by him to fuel his supporters and consolidate them. "You see, foreign powers like the New York Times is campaigning against us" he will say. "Consider this and decide with whom you wanna be when going to the polls" he will continue.
1
"President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who came to power in 2003, long ago abandoned efforts to build a model Muslim democracy" - there is no such thing. Islam is a political system, and the antithesis of democracy.
3
I did not find in the article a citation of even one single achievement of Mr. Erdogan. Why did Turks elect Mr. Erdogan in previous elections if he is so bad? I think it is good for a respected newspaper to be more transparent and balanced about the facts.
1
Erdogan is the reincarnation of the Red Sultan Hamid which was overthrown by the Young Turks.
His autocratic, corrupt rule has already undermined the democratic efforts of the country.
He is NO ally to the US and will soon force the US base in Incirlik out of the country and may replace it with his cohort's 'military base', Putin's Russia.'
4
In cross canal that Erdogan with its environmental detrustion that he is pushing through would amount as a golden gift to Russia in its quest for world domination! The lack of a year round ice free port has been a potent check on Russian world domination and trouble making!
1
There is a great deal to say about Erdogan and his party: most emanate from the two major divisions that Attaturk inflicted on Turkey post WWI and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire
- (modernized) which came to be known as Kemalist , secular , West oriented and passive animosity towards Islam , Ottoman and Moslem
- (conservative);Islamist, Turkic, Ottoma supporter.
Ever since the Turkish people has been substantially divided in the two sub said groups: an urban Kemalist and a rural conservative
The Army and Security services , with an unofficial code in force remaind in power through self perpetuating laws and practices ensured uninterrupted dominatation for the Modernist with major urban fellowship While the Conservatives remained , at heart, non Kemalist.
Attempts to,redress the balance of power were attempted through peaceful-means were met by brute force including the execution of the leader of the non Kemalist subgroup : Adnan Menderes .
However the rapid , quasi miraculous , economic development of Turkey led to mass urban rural emigration to the strongholds of Modernist/ Kemalist and a vivid revival of the non The non Kemalist, hence forward know as the Islamists , faction which first brought Erdogan and party to an “Islamist”, anti Zionist, antimAmerican promIslam orientation headed by Erdogan !
All forthcoming events in Turkey will depend on whether the balance of internal power is still pro Islamist or is back to Kemalist !
3
I hope it will return to Kemalism. His Turkey was a secularist, welcoming Turkey. Erdogan's is a giant step backwards. I will pay close attention to tomorrow's election.
1
Authoritarian despots are the enemy of democracy. Trump the authoritarian is doing much damage to our democracy. Trump is just one more example of why America must always stand up against authoritarian leaders at home and abroad.
2
Agreed.
He is another one of trumps idols and heros
Trump is busy trying to copy him.
1
I seem to remember a time not very long-ago when Erdogan supporters here in the U.S. were loudly cheering on his flotillas against Israel. Where are these self-styled "progressives" now when ordinary Turkish citizens would like to a see a few flotillas launch in his direction.
2
Given that Erdogan's response to unflattering Wikipedia articles about a family member was to BLOCK ACCESS FOR THE WHOLE COUNTRY, I'm wouldn't miss him.
1
It’s folly to expect votes against Mr. Erdogan to count when Mr. Erdogan is doing the counting. Ballots cast against him will be cast aside.
The attempted coup in 2016 was Turkey’s last chance. Its failure allowed Mr. Erdogan to identify and purge his greatest internal threats, and now it’ll take a river of blood to wash him from power.
5
I would be surprised if the election actually threatens Erdogan's hold on power. Like his counterpart in Russia there is nothing he won't do to stay in power while enabling a level of corruption comparable to his big brother Putin. It interesting that they both like HUGE projects that are expressions of their power and egos, kinda like Trump.
2
The future of the United States? I happens very quickly.
Vote this November for any Democrat on your ballot. We'll figure at the details later once the fire is under control.
6
My money is on Erdogan winning... and on Trump promptly calling to congratulate him, just like Trump did on Erdogan's last 'victory,' just like Trump did on Putin's last election, never mind what cooler heads advise...
1
First it was time's up for Merkel; now it's Erdogan's turn. These are rich countries with popular leaders. Must you always be about poaching? You're starting to sound like Trump.
1
Is time up for Erdogan? No chance! This is a time when brutal dictators are flourishing around the world -- Erdogan in Turkey, Xi in China, Assad in Syria, Sisi in Egypt, Putin in Russia and, of course, Trump in the (formerly) United States. There is nothing stopping these guys, and they know it.
4
The article paints a fair picture of travails the Erdogan rule is facing. Two more concerns should be mentioned: the accelerating inflation, and environmental degradation and plundering of natural capital.
Turks have an acute memory of hyper inflation during the eighties that contributed to the upheaval by eroding the relative purchasing power of lower-economic classes and quickly widening the income and wealth gaps.
There is a growing awareness in Turkey about the devastating effects of current economic development policies that rely heavily on construction-- transportation infrastructure and housing—and mining. This lopsided emphasis has been taking a toll on vulnerable ecology and its subsystems in the countryside and on already alarmingly-little, urban green space. This awareness is not yet at a critical level.
Turks deserve to return to a democratic political process. That return calls for an organic evolution of a collective mind-set to rid of the existing web of cronyism and a desire to stray away from the malaise of accelerated path to modernism through economic development at all cost. A prerequisite for that is a critical mass that supports economic development with a sustainable income/wealth distribution and sustainable ecology.
That critical mass would develop only at the rate the separation of religion-and-state takes root.
3
"model [evangelical] democracy in favor of a personality-driven authoritarian government with an increasingly conservative religious cast." Reads like a description for trump. Add the alienation of NATO and of former allies and closer ties to Russia, trump-Erdogan appear to be using the same playbook - authored by Putin.
Why is Erdogan running scared? Didn't he align himself more with Putin lately - perhaps in hope of some pro-Erdogan Russian electoral tampering?
The danger of losing power for the likes of Erdogan and trump is so great that they have to rule for life to avoid accountability and consequences. Both these leaders appear to be getting tutored by Putin on consolidation of power the way he did it in Russia.
3
I first visited Turkey at the high-water mark for their hopes of joining the EU. I did see, as in our nation, deep cultural divides between rural and urban, but also a shift of population to the cities. Erdogan seemed just the man to guide his nation into renewed greatness as a regional power.
He became a tyrant. Every Turk I know now wants out. They are urban secular or intellectual Turks, all.
I figured that all my hopes for the land of my ancestors were dashed, until the Turkish economy stumbled. Maybe now he will fall.
It will, I fear, take something similar to stop America’s would-be tyrant.
11
We went to Turkey with friends in late 2014. We drove 2,300 km from the southern coast and up into Anatolia and Cappadocia and back. Erdogan wasn’t seen as all that threatening yet but several incidents showed me his “base” in action and was a foreshadowing. We passed through south-central Turkey and in the city of Karaman we were clearly in a highly conservative area. At our hotel, my wife and her friend were treated disrespectfully by staff when they went to use the women’s spa (unescorted by husbands). Asked for a restaurant recommendation, the manager sent us not to a restaurant but to a men’s tavern where the men shot dagger-like looks at all of us (the exception was the owner, who had lived in the States). When we finished he insisted on escorting us to the street and getting the “right” cab (his words) as we had to file through a double line of smoking men who clearly resented us. The final incident was at a gas station. As I filled up, I spoke English to my friends and my wife, head uncovered, sat in the passenger seat. I looked across the lane next to me and and noticed another customer staring at me with an intense look of unmitigated hatred. I worked 20 years as a defense Foreign Affairs Specialist/Intell Analyst in some pretty ugly places and have served in two wars as a Marine, but never felt as threatened as I did there. I told my wife “I’m glad we’re here now; I think things here are headed south.” Tourism impact? I’ll never return with Erdogan in power.
6
Mr. Lightning, Maybe it is U.S. policy in the Middle East and the invasion of Iraq that spurs Turkish animosity and not Erdogan. I has a totally different experience pre-Bush. We traveled by bus all over Turkey and we greeted with warmth and affection even in conservative towns. In one such town an elderly man sitting near a Seljuk mosque happily sang "New York, New York" to us, much to our surprised amusement.
2
Given your background as an Intel analyst with the defense Foreign Affairs, I am quite shocked that you did not know all about this before you went to vacation in Turkey. I have a Peace Corps background regarding Turkey. And I can tell you from personal experience that the hatred you experienced I experienced back in 1967. It is nothing new. What is frightening is that a member of US intelligence was clueless about the personality of the people of Turkey. Life for educated, worldly, intelligent Turks has always been extremely difficult.
1
That’s why I went. The positive comments. Rick Steve’s singing its praises. Etc. I traveled across all parts of the country - close to the coast, no issues (used to tourists). In the heartland - like Anatolia - suspicion and hostility. I don’t think it’s related to Iraq - I think it’s Erdogan’s messaging to the “base.” Sound like anything you’ve heard about recently?
1
I look at everything Erdogan has done to destroy democracy and freedom of expression in Turkey and aggrandize himself and his cronies and the first thing that comes to mind is “thank you founding fathers for your wisdom and insight when drafting the Constitution.”
The founders were steeped in history, especially of the Greco Roman world but also of the tyranny of Kings in Europe. They knew all too well that power hungry tyrants have always been with us. In fact, tyrants are the norm in human history not the exception. I do not doubt for one minute that if he could, Trump would jail the press, force the sales of hostile media companies to his cronies and neuter our independent judiciary to get his way. He is so clearly cut from the same cloth as Putin and Erdogan and Oban in Hungary.
The founders had no doubt that one day, a would be tyrant would come along to try and destroy our freedoms. The legal framework they put in place is protecting us but in the end only citizens exercising their precious right to vote will end this threat here - and in Turkey.
5
Erdogan surely will “win” no matter how the voting actually turns out. His party controls the government and will count the votes. Erdogan is undoubtedly aware of former Soviet dictator Stalin’s advice: “It's not the people who vote that count, it's the people who count the votes."
9
Wouldn't it be wonderful.... however unlikely. That we are looking to Turkey's elections as a beacon of hope today is staggering. I cannot help but read between the lines of this editorial: if the Turks can oust their dictator, perhaps the US can as well.
10
Erdogan initially brought prosperity to Turkey and is sympathetic to the plight of the Palestinians. Thus he was favored by the voters. His repression of democracy diminished his appeal among secular Turks. But, in the provinces he is Islam's champion. In the 1980s before women donned the headscarf as a political criticism of U.S. policy in the Middle East Turkey was a vibrant, welcoming country. Then the value of the lira went into free fall and Erdogan later came on the scene and the economy revived. The rosy days are long gone and the public may recognize that it is time for a change, but Erdogan has so squashed dissent that people are scarred and scared. There should be independent monitoring of this election.
8
The example of Maduro shows that there is nearly no limit to how badly a ruthless dictator can ruin a country. Turkey has a long way to fall, but complete collapse is at least possible in the long run.
5
Given strong opposition to his authoritarian rule, Erdogan knows that every vote counts. His lackeys in some European countries with a large Turkish population have been urging or coercing people to vote. The Kurds make up of some 20% of Turkey’s population will be the kingmaker.
Erdogan’s crackdown on the pro-Kurdish HDP – 9 of its lawmakers in jail, including presidential candidate, Selahattin Demirtas – after the collapse of the 2015 truce with the Kurdish PKK-militants, will come back to bite him. Erdogan hinted he would reinstate death penalty for Demirtas.
In the past Kurds in rural areas could vote in their own villages. Now they have to travel miles to cast their ballots. Polling stations have been moved or merged – for better protection – according to the government. At least 150.000 Kurdish voters are affected.
Selin Girit, a BBC reporter had to pass through a checkpoint to enter a Kurdish village in southeast Turkey, bordering Iran and Iraq. The heavy police presence in Hakkari reinforces critics’ fear that votes could be rigged and voters intimidated.
The Kurdish HDP needs to pass the 10% threshold to enter parliament. If not, their votes would go to Erdogan’s AKP, which is the second most popular party in the Kurdish region. The HDP hopes to gain opposition support in tactical voting, and may play a crucial role in deciding the next president. If there’s a runoff between Erdogan and his rival, Kurdish voters will be the game changer.
16
I very much doubt that Erdogan is even slightly inclined to allow "his" country to vote him out of power, any more than other autocrats.
If I were in charge, I'd create a homeland for Kurds, who seem the only people capable of courage and self-government for the good of all. Sadly, they are Erdogan's (and others') favorite target.
Authoritarian is on the rise, and people will not heed the warming of history and the wisdom of civilization. But it does provide a distraction from the inevitable dangers we face from trashing our planet. Too bad: sayonara civilization and human aspiration.
Greed and vulgarity, hatred and violence, lies and xenophobia: human history is taking a dark turn.
Our only hope is to work together to solve problems, but there are too many opportunists who see profit in turning us against each other.
50
Turkey could have been one of The West strongest links to the Muslim world had the EU admitted it upon it many request since 1987 as the numbers of members swelled; instead humiliating rejection. NATO yes EU no. Now it is a loose canon on the road to rising militancy and headed for dangerous alliances whoever wins the election. NATO and arms sales are not a path to reason.
15
Not allowing Turkey to join the EU was a colossal mistake. Turkey has a dynamic entrepreneurial class, a well-educated young urban population, strong ties to Europe with large Turkish populations in several European countries.. Erdoğan won the referendum of 2 years only with 3 percentage points and lost all major cities including Istanbul, which is the heart of Turkey.. It's disappointing to see all Turks labelled as deserving to be ruled by a increasingly megalomaniac autocrat.. Interestingly,I don't see much criticism of Sissi's Egypt, which is the textbook definition of an elitist Middle Eastern dictatorship.. Western hypocrisy at its best..
10
Admitting Turkey, for geopolitical reasons, would have destroyed the EU-project. Like a former EU-commissioner once said: "Turkey is too big, too poor and too different."
24
Especially at that point in time, the EEC (as it was then known) was overwhelmingly an economic entity. As the euro shows, making economic decision for geopolitical reasons usually ends badly. In this case, it was an open secret that Italy and Greece were cooking their books and didn't really qualify for euro membership, but it was unthinkable to the troika of Mitterrand, Kohl and Delores to omit Italy.
Turkey, then as now, didn't meet the requirements, so at least in that case the EEC made the right decision.
10
Bret Stephens' column is a helpful companion to this editorial. Trump is doing his part to extinguish "democracy's flame" in Turkey by selling Erdogan the F-35, one of "the most sophisticated pieces of military hardware ever made" in exchange for NOTHING - no improvement in civil rights, no hostage release, no agreement to drop bids to buy Russian missiles. With this colossally terrible deal, Trump made Erdogan look powerful and the U.S. look weak, with Trump kneeling at Erdogan's feet. At election time!
Ridiculously flawed negotiation, but that's to be expected from a 6-times bankrupt negotiator who has no interest in, and no use for, democracy.
127
I don't like Erdogan either but we did not sell Erdogan the F-35 in exchange for nothing. Turkey, along with other countries, has been a founding nation and co-developer of the F-35. It is as much theirs as it is ours.
2
Common,
The President and the Senate are playing “Good Cop, Bad Cop” with Erdogan. You obviously don’t like the President as most here don’t like the President. In passing let me say that he’s President because you and those here supported a lousy candidate! Next time run a better candidate and you might win!
Turkey is a member of NATO at the moment. Turkey has a common border with both Syria and Russia. Turkey also has a President who is very “touchy” about any slights, real or imagined.
Now if the President was really a “Russian Shill” (as you and those here claim!) he, not the Senate would be truing to drive Turkey into Russia’s “arms”!
Erdogan might loose the election or his party might loose the election. It’s even possible that both might loose the election. The U.S. needs to be in a position to stay on a friendly basis with an important ally, especially if Erdogan wins.
1
Of course I am anti-Trump - most good Republicans are - particularly while the economy increasingly takes a hit with his disorganized tariffs penalizing American companies (especially in the heartland.)
Read the bill cosponsored by Republican Senator Lankford, and then respond back with why you believe the Bill's limitations on F-35 sales are not logical.
You have nothing to lose (not loose) by learning the details of negotiations that should have taken place to help Turkey restore some semblance of democracy.
2
Turkey never really had a functioning democracy. For the first 70 years, the military and nationalist parties ran the show, and deposed several democratically elected religious candidates. Erdogan's victory was a reaction to the end of military rule, allowing the Islamists to finally come to power. In a sense it was a whiplash effect, after so many decades of repression of the religious conservatives. His supporters have stayed in line while he has demolished democracy in Turkey, seeming to prefer an autocrat who reflects their views over democracy, just as in Russia. Unfortunately, the Turkish economy is now suffering under corruption, mismanagement, and alienation of foreign partners. Erdogan will likely resort to more authoritarianism to maintain his imperial power, possibly leading to instability as people begin to protest.
37
"…threatened the election’s fairness by letting government officials control polling stations, count ballots that lack an official stamp and even relocate polling stations."
The results will not be accepted by the strong and growing opposition.
Unless Erdogan losses, (maybe justice will prevail) there will be more mistrust and unrest.
But, he wouldn't be doing these things if he was willing to live with an honest result.
He's a fascist - 'nuff said.
57
Corrupt dictators like Erdogan don't lose elections, regardless of what the polls might say. He is so mired in corruption, he'd end up in jail if he were to lose power. So, despite the look of an existential threat, this election will end up cementing his absolute hold on power for the foreseeable future. If he's ever brought down, it won't be by the ballot box.
29
This turkey should be done. But alas, the dictators and thugs nearly always manage to endure, until they suddenly, and violently, don't. That day WILL come, eventually. Just saying.
22
I've visited Turkey a couple of times and have several Turkish friends. I deeply admire Turkey, but Erdogan certainly is a populist and a danger to this country and its people. Sort of like a Turkish Trump (but better schooled). I certainly hope that he loses some of his power. For the good of Turkey, this wonderful country that embodies the meeting of east and west. In Istanbul the Jews who fled Spain encountered a new place to stay. Turkey is an incredible blend of cultures and is also a technologically advanced country. So, hopefully, Erdogan might start to lose the stranglehold he now has
67
Turkish Trump? Erdogan is the guy Obama was touting not that long ago as "proof" Islamism and liberal democracy could coexist in a society. He was Obama's go-to guy for advice on all things Muslim World. Remember? It's not THAT long ago. Or is it you wanted to forget? Of course, Obama also ridiculed Mitt Romney during the 2012 presidential debates when Romney named Russia as the US's most dangerous adversary, claiming Romney's head was still in the Cold War. But that's another story.
10
He was not president Obama’s creation. He is the Bush-Rumsfeld-Cheney creation. He is the result of their design to show that there can be a Democracy that does not shy from Islam that would be an example for all other Muslim nations. He is what THEY gave us, this is the result of them meddling in Turkey’s previous governments. They supported him immensely and had a significant role in bringing him to power.
1
That was in the earlier years of Erdo’s reign when the entire world thought he was a force of good. It all changed as he began to show his true colors, Obama’s rapport changed with it. Trump and Erdo are of the same cast.
1
"Most local polls show him with no more than 51 percent support."
His chances of winning are pretty good. Erdogan is an authoritarian, his AKP Party dominate the airwaves. He has effectively suppressed the media after the coup in 2016. Vocal critics have been imprisoned, and he has appointed pro-government officials to the election commission. Let us hope that the election is not rigged and voter fraud is minimal. Of course, there are genuine competitors on the ballot offering genuine alternatives but their chances of winning are slim. What is against Erdogan is the economy, Erdogan has long relied on his economic achievements to win elections, but that won't be so easy this time around. The Turkish lira has hit all-time lows, inflation is on the rise. If Erdogan wins, Donald Trump will be the first one to congratulate him.
31
What a fabulist prospect. Erdogan will not fail to be re-elected any more than Putin would in Russia during his weakest days; not that Putin needs apparatchiks these days to vote the graves then count the names given his popularity at home. But Erdogan, while needing those moldering votes … also has them for the grave digging. And as the next presidential term comes to a close, he will find a way to engineer a presidency-for-life.
This is how it’s managed in Muslim countries that actually allow the Muslims to rule: their leaders leave their palaces feet-first. Look at what happened in Egypt with Morsi, who only fell because he didn’t have the time, as Erdogan has, to emasculate the military.
But the Turks did this to themselves. Always insistent on a secular governance, these profoundly Muslim people finally decided to let in a highly suspicious character who never really dissembled about his Islamist core. And, like Egypt, they will reap the whirlwind.
Muslim definition of democracy: one man, one vote … once.
25
You are wrong about Morsi of Egypt. Morsi was up against the Egyptian military industrial complex. By which I mean that the military, along with relatives, controls much of the Egyptian economy. Morsi was set up to lose. And the military with El-Sisi as leader put themselves back in control of the government.
With Morsi there was freedom of the press, and much of it was against him. With El-Sisi in power there was a massacre by the military of 800 peaceful demonstrators supportive of Morsi. The secret police returned to the streets. And freedom of the press was abolished. You may not like Morsi or the Muslim Brotherhood, but Morsi was democratically elected.
1
Do we have to make this about Islam? Don’t we have enough examples of dictators in the non-Muslim world? Aren’t we at least in one way similar to Erdogan if we make generalizations about a religion?
I was living in Italy when, back in the 90s, Turkey seemed to be making a serious and concerted effort to join the EU, which would have forced the abolition of the death penalty in Turkey and which that country was very seriously considering agreeing to. There were many skeptics who felt (not entirely unjustly) that Turkey was far more Asian than European but those same persons were keeping the door open to Turkey. Then arrived the dictator Erdogan. Suddenly every negative stereotype that could be attributed to the Turks was being done and, as to tarnishing Turkey's image, in this case it might be better to have him decide while in the episode and then immediately face the consequences of being disobedient as seen fit.
2
Once you cross the Bosphorus, you enter a world of religious extremism and can quickly feel like you are living in the Middle Ages. Istanbul does not reflect the rest of the country in the least. Most Westerners are uneducated about this. I well remember being shocked by my experiences traveling in Eastern Turkey.