Under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey has steadily descended into authoritarianism and instability, according to Mort Abramowitz* and Eric Edelman, both former U.S. ambassadors to Turkey, and co-chairs of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Turkey Initiative. The recent government seizure of one of the main opposition media groups, including Turkey’s highest-circulation newspaper, is only the latest demonstration of how Erdogan has betrayed his county’s potential, they write for The Washington Post:
When Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AK Party) took power in 2003, they strengthened the Turkish economy and improved Turkey’s relations with its neighbors. The AK Party pursued European Union membership, ended military domination over Turkish politics and tried to find a peaceful solution to the country’s long-standing Kurdish problem…..Today, Turkey’s future looks much bleaker. Rather than greatness, Erdogan has steered it toward authoritarianism, economic slowdown and civil war.
*A former board member of the National Endowment for Democracy.
