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As Donald Trump prepares for his inauguration, he is struggling with opposition from the US media, intelligence agencies, government apparatus, parts of the Republican Party and a significant portion of the American population. Impressive obstacles appear to prevent him exercising arbitrary power.

He should take heart: much the same was said in Turkey of Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2002 when he led his Justice and Development Party (AKP) to the first of four election victories. He faced an army that, through coups and the threat of coups, was the ultimate source of power in the country, and a secular establishment suspicious of his Islamist beliefs. But over the years he has outmanoeuvred or eliminated his enemies and using a failed military coup on 15 July last year as an excuse is suppressing and punishing all signs of dissent as terrorism.

As Trump enters the White House, the AKP and far right nationalist super majority in the Turkish parliament is this month stripping the assembly of its powers and transferring them wholesale to the presidency. President Erdogan will become an elected dictator able to dissolve parliament, veto legislation, decide the budget, appoint ministers who do not have to be MPs along with senior officials and heads of universities.

All power will be concentrated in Erdogans hands as the office of prime minister is abolished and the president, who can serve three five year terms, takes direct control of the intelligence services. He will appoint senior judges and the head of state institutions including the education system.

These far-reaching constitutional changes are reinforcing an ever-expanding purge begun after the failed military coup last year, in which more than 100,000 civil servants have been detained or dismissed. This purge is now reaching into every walk of life, from liberal journalists to businessmen who have seen $10bn in assets confiscated by the state.

The similarities between Erdogan and Trump are greater than they might seem, despite the very different political traditions in the US and Turkey.

The parallel lies primarily in the methods by which both men have gained power and seek to enhance it. They are populists and nationalists who demonise their enemies and see themselves as surrounded by conspiracies. Success does not sate their pursuit of more authority.

Hopes in the US that, after Trumps election in November, he would shift from aggressive campaign mode to a more conciliatory approach have dissipated over the last two months. Towards the media his open hostility has escalated, as was shown by his abuse of reporters at his press conference this week.

Manic sensitivity to criticism is a hallmark of both men. In Trumps case this is exemplified by his tweeted denunciation of critics such as Meryl Streep, while in Turkey 2,000 people have been charged with insulting the president. One man was tried for posting on Facebook three pictures of Gollum, the character in The Lord of the Rings, with similar facial features to pictures of Erdogan posted alongside. Of the 259 journalists in jail around the world, no less than 81 are in Turkey. American reporters may not yet face similar penalties, but they can expect intense pressure on the institutions for which they work to mute their criticisms.

Turkey and the US may have very different political landscapes, but there is a surprising degree of uniformity in the behaviour of Trump and Erdogan. The same is true of populist, nationalist, authoritarian leaders who are taking power in many different parts of the world from Hungary and Poland to the Philippines. Commentators have struggled for a phrase to describe this phenomenon, such as the age of demagoguery, but this refers only to one method and that not the least important by which such leaders gain power.

This type of political leadership is not new: the most compelling account of it was written 70 years ago in 1947 by the great British historian Sir Lewis Namier, in an essay reflecting on what he termed Caesarian democracy, which over the previous century had produced Napoleon III in France, Mussolini in Italy and Hitler in Germany. His list of the most important aspects of this toxic brand of politics is as relevant today as it was when first written, since all the items apply to Trump, Erdogan and their like.

Namier described Caesarian democracy as typified by its direct appeal to the masses: demagogical slogans; disregard of legality despite a professed guardianship of law and order; contempt of political parties and the parliamentary system, of the educated classes and their values; blandishments and vague, contradictory promises to all and sundry; militarism; gigantic blatant displays and shady corruption. Panem et circenses [bread and circuses] once more and at the end of the road, disaster.

Disaster comes in different forms. One disability of elected dictators or strongmen is that, impelled by an exaggerated idea of their own capacity, they undertake foreign military adventures beyond their countrys strength. As an isolationist Trump might steer clear of such quagmires, but most of his senior security appointments show a far more aggressive and interventionist streak.

A strength of President Obama was that he had a realistic sense of what was attainable by the US in the Middle East without starting unwinnable wars as President George W Bush did in Iraq and Afghanistan. During the presidential election campaign, Trump showed signs of grasping as Hillary Clinton did not that Americans do not want to fight another ground war in the Middle East or anywhere else. But this naturally limits US influence in the world and will be at odds with Trumps slogan about making America great again.

The disaster that Namier predicted was the natural end of elected dictators has already begun to happen in Turkey. The Turkish leader may have succeeded in monopolising power at home, but at the price of provoking crises and deepening divisions within Turkish society. The country is embroiled in the war in Syria, thanks to Erdogans ill-judged intervention there since 2011. This led to the Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) establishing a de facto state in northern Syria and Isis doing the same in Syria and Iraq. At home, Erdogan restarted the war with the Turkish Kurds for electoral reasons in 2015 and the conflict is now more intractable than ever.

Every few weeks in Turkey there is another terrorist attack which is usually the work of Isis or a faction of the PKK although the government sometimes blames atrocities on the followers of Fethullah Gulen, who are alleged to have carried out the attempted military coup last July. In addition to this, there is an escalating financial crisis, which has seen the Turkish lira lose 12 per cent of its value over the last two weeks. Foreign and domestic investment is drying up as investors become increasingly convinced that Turkey has become chronically unstable.

Erdogan and Trump have a further point in common: both have an unquenchable appetite for power and achieve it by exploiting and exacerbating divisions within their own countries.

They declare they will make their countries great again, but in practise make them weaker.

They are forever sawing through the branch on which they and everybody else are sitting.

Excerpt from:
The terrifying parallels between Trump and Erdogan - The ...

Ibrahim Cat, a supporter of the ruling AK Party, had never hesitated to vote for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Until now.

As Turks prepare to vote on a proposal to give Erdogan sweeping powers, people like Cat are signaling to the man who has never lost a major election that victory is not assured. Two months before the referendum, surveys show the no side with a narrow lead. At least 10 percent of the electorate hasnt made up its mind.

I think too much power is being given to one man, said Cat as he waited for patrons at the wedding gift shop he owns in Ankaras old town. We trust Erdogan but who will replace him when he passes away?

Read: How Turkeys Erdogan Might Get Still More Power: QuickTake Q&A

What Erdogan seeks to achieve is nothing less than overturning the parliamentary politics enshrined in the modern, secular Turkish state by founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk after World War I. The proposed constitutional amendments would make the presidency the center of power instead of parliament, abolish the post of prime minister and give the president greater control over judicial appointments.

Erdogan and his supporters say the stakes for Turkey have never been higher. In speeches, interviews and newspaper opinion pieces, they argue that giving the president more powers is the only answer to a wave of terrorist attacks, a raging conflict with Kurdish separatists, an economic slowdown and the turmoil that followed a failed coup attempt in July.

The constitutional change opens the way for a strong, great and prosperous Turkey, Erdogan said in Istanbul on Feb. 11. The nation needs this system, not me.

Yet while the AK Party says parliament will still be able to curb the presidents authority, opponents say the changes would promote autocracy by weakening checks and balances.

Read: Turkeys Power Struggles Stem From Erdogans Grip: QuickTake

This is not an ordinary referendum, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the main opposition CHP party told faction lawmakers on Feb. 14. Turkey will heave a sigh of relief if the result is no.

A MetroPoll survey published Feb. 9 showed almost 51 percent of voters oppose the proposed constitutional change. Three survey companies say between 10 and 14 percent of Turkeys 55 million eligible voters -- or some 5 million to 7 million people -- havent made up their minds.

Ilnur Cevik, a chief adviser to Erdogan, indicated that the president and AK party understand the challenge.

There is a colossal change in Turkey that will have to be explained to the people, once they realize what is going on, I think the approval rate will really go up, increase, he said in an interview.

It wouldnt be the first time Erdogan and his party trailed in the polls only to emerge as winners. In past elections, the AK Party he co-founded has nimbly changed tactics mid-campaign to adjust to public sentiment. In this race, it has already softened its tone toward referendum opponents, no longer calling them terrorists as it originally did.

Erdogan has also issued a slew of economic decrees, including tax breaks and cheaper health insurance, that have been welcomed by loyalists but disparaged by opponents as a blatant attempt to curry favor with voters.

Erdogan backer Soner Kurt, 38, said he had no reservations about the proposed constitutional changes.

Ive read the entire 18 article-package, I dont see anything harmful in it, Kurt said as he packed sugar-dusted cubes of Turkish delight, the countrys signature sweet, in a small shop in Ankara. I like his leadership, his strong stance against the U.S. He starts everything with in the name of God. He is an honest man.

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That tack resonates with many.

I will definitely vote yes in the referendum for stability in the country, for economic development and security, said 28-year-old real estate agent Bekir Karadavut in the AK Party stronghold of Pursaklar on the outskirts of Ankara. There is a need for an authoritarian figure in this country to put things on the right track.

For Kurds, who make up about 15 percent of Turkeys population, the referendum is a red flag. Lawmaker Ahmet Yildirim of the pro-Kurdish, opposition HDP party predicted a high turnout among the partys constituents to protest the jailing of their lawmakers on charges of terrorism.

The people are aware that avoiding the ballot box would amount to saying yes, he said.

Erdogan is banking on the support that he secured as prime minister by curtailing the power of the fiercely secular military and driving economic growth through massive infrastructure projects and a sweeping reform of the banking industry. Gross domestic product rose by an average of 5.9 percent since he first took office in 2003.

Turkeys luster, however, has dimmed as Erdogan consolidated his grip on power, both as prime minister and then as president. A succession of corruption allegations, deadly militant attacks and a government crackdown on opponents have sparked accusations of authoritarianism.

The economy has also suffered, in part because of swings in global market and also because of investor concerns over Erdogans leadership. The lira has lost more than 20 percent of its value against the dollar since the end of 2015. Growth and foreign direct investments have also slowed.

Erkan Ulker, a 36-year-old owner of a textile shop in Ankara, said he voted for the AK Party in the last election to stop the country from sliding into chaos.

Now, I have concerns on whether the president will rule the country with an increasingly authoritarian style, he said.

See the original post here:
Even Some Erdogan Diehards Flinch at Giving Him More Powers - Bloomberg

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Erdogan alleged assassination attempt trial opens in Turkey News & Observer A trial has opened in southern Turkey for 47 people accused of attempting to kill President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the night of the failed coup, while he was vacationing with his family. The suspects 37 of them former military personnel face ... Alleged Erdogan assassination attempt trial opens in TurkeyNewser 'Erdogan assassination plot' suspects go on trial in TurkeyYahoo News all 7 news articles »

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Erdogan alleged assassination attempt trial opens in Turkey - News & Observer

Turkeys prime minister drew criticism on Saturday for holding a rally in Germany urging Turks there to support a referendum that would expand President Recep Tayyip Erdogans powers. Binali Yildirim also told the several thousands of people at a stadium in Oberhausen, in western Germany, that Turkey would track down the participants in last Julys failed military coup in all the holes where they are hiding, AFP reported. Germany is home to about three million people of Turkish origin, the legacy of a massive guest worker program in the 1960s and 70s, and the biggest population of Turks in the world outside Turkey. They will be able to vote in the April 16 referendum, which would discard the post of prime minister for the first time in Turkeys history. Critics say the new presidential system will cement a one-man rule in the country. Some 750 opponents of Erdogan rallied peacefully near the Oberhausen stadium, according to police. Sevim Dagdelen, a lawmaker in Germanys far-left Die Linke party, called the rally a publicity campaign for a dictator. Yildirim met Chancellor Angela Merkel earlier Saturday during the Munich Security Conference. Yildirim met US Vice President Mike Pence at the conference on Saturday.

Excerpt from:
Turkish Premier Holds Pro-Erdogan Rally in Germany - Financial Tribune

President Recep Tayyip Erdoan has voiced his support for the constitutional change that would lower the minimum age to become a lawmaker from 25 to 18, citing the example of powerful companies who employ young chief executive officers.

Speaking at an opening ceremony for infrastructure projects in eastern Turkey's Elazig province, Erdoan said the campaign for a Yes vote for the April 16 referendum on constitutional changes would continue.

We would also like to see ages of ministers going down to 18 from 25 years. Is that possible? Why not! Today, 25-year-old, 30-year-old young people are running giant corporations of the world," he said.

Under the proposed changes to the constitution, minimum age for parliamentary candidates would be reduced to 18 from 25.

The president said Turkey needs idealism and energy of youths, adding he wants to see elected young people between the ages of 18 and 25 in the Turkish parliament."

Erdoan kicked off the Yes campaign on Friday after the official referendum schedule was announced by the Supreme Election Board. The campaign began in southern Kahramanmaras, one of the areas that gave him the most votes in the 2014 presidential polls.

Turkey has finally achieved the appropriate management system which has been seeking for years. The name of this system is the presidential government system," he said.

Referring to opposition to the constitutional changes, Erdoan said those who objected to the new system do not want it because it is going to destroy their own interests and revealing their own bad intent."

Constitutional reform has been discussed since then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoan was voted president in August 2014.

The reforms would remove parliament's power to question ministers or stage a confidence vote in the government. The minimum age for parliamentary candidates would be reduced to 18 and the number of deputies will rise to 600.

Simultaneous parliamentary and presidential elections for a five-year term would be held in November 2019 under the new constitution.

Turkish nationals overseas will be able to vote in the referendum between March 27 and April 9 at polling stations in embassies and consulates as well as at Turkish ports and airports. These votes will be tallied in Turkey on referendum night.

The political parties can campaign until 6 p.m. on April 15.

The bill of constitutional changes was passed by parliament in January, with 339 votes in favor -- nine more than needed to put the proposals to a referendum.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's recent official tour to three key Gulf countries came at a critical juncture in the region where there is an urgent need to establish a power equilibrium to avoid new conflicts, Presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said on Saturday. In his column for the Turkish newspaper Daily Sabah, Kalin said: "The rise of violent extremism in the form of al-Qaeda and Daesh on the one hand, and the deepening sectarian conflict between Sunni and Shia Muslims on the other, require a long-term vision and wise political leadership. Muslims cannot let violent extremism and sectarianism define their faith and destroy their future." He said strengthening of economic relations and counterterrorism efforts as well as mutual collaboration among the regional countries is an absolute must in order to provide permanent peace and stability in the Gulf and Middle East regions. "The current global disorder and regional rivalry for power has taken its toll on the political architecture and ordinary citizens of the Middle East and the larger Muslim world. There is an urgent need to establish power equilibrium to address the pressing security and economic challenges and avoid new conflicts. This can happen only when the key stakeholders initiate a new period of intra-regional solidarity and claim their regional ownership." Kalin said regional ownership calls for dealing with challenges of the Middle East and the Muslim world through strengthened dialogue in the fields of security and economic cooperation. "This does not mean turning our back on the rest of the world. No form of 'third worldism' and turning inside would work in the increasingly sophisticated and multi-polar world in which we live. To the contrary, regional ownership encourages openness to the world, but this can generate a win-win situation only when regional problems are no longer there for others to manipulate to their advantage," he wrote. Kalin added Turkey pursues a policy of mutual empowerment with its neighbors and the larger Muslim world and it seeks regional solutions to regional problems. "Ending violent extremism and sectarian conflict is possible only when we realize that power equilibrium is in the interest of all parties. As we have seen in recent conflicts, seeking undue influence through proxies in other countries hurts everyone. No one can claim victory in self-defeating conflicts," he said. The presidential aide also said Turkey's current trade volume with the Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC) is a little over $16 billion and given the economic potential it is not sufficient. "Talks concerning a free trade agreement between Turkey and the GCC are underway and can be signed this year under the Bahraini term presidency," Kalin said. He added the approach is being reciprocated by the GCC countries, which understands Turkey's security concerns over the PKK terror group and Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) and have declared both as terrorist organizations. FETO, led by U.S.-based Fetullah Gulen, is believed to have organized July 2016's defeated military takeover in Turkey, which left at least 248 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured. "Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain, in particular, have taken a number of steps to stop the activities of FETO institutions and individuals in their countries. Fighting Daesh and other terrorist organizations ideologically and militarily is also a common goal shared by all parties," Kalin wrote. He said joint efforts to prevent the coupling of Islam with violence and terrorism by extremists in the Muslim world and Western countries are also important. "Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are working closely to resolve the conflict in Syria and help establish peace and security in Iraq," Kalin added.

Turkey's target after liberating Al-Bab, Syria, from Daesh is the town of Manbij, and clearing the terrorist PKK's Syrian offshoot, PYD, from the region, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoan said Friday. Erdoan's remarks came in an interview with the satellite channel al-Arabiya that aired during his visit to the Saudi capital, Riyadh, as part of a Gulf tour that also took the Turkish leader to Bahrain and Qatar. Erdoan linked the resolution of the Syrian crisis with confronting terrorism, especially the Daesh terror group inside Syria. Turkey's president reiterated that a terror-free safe zone should be established between Jarablus and Al-Rai in northern Syria, decrying the large human crisis represented by the refugees, 2.8 million of whom Turkey is hosting". Turkey hosts more Syrian refugees than any other country in the world. It has spent approximately $25 billion to shelter and provide for refugees since the beginning of Syrian war in early 2011. Erdoan stressed that to achieve stability in the region and Syria, serious support from Gulf states, led by Saudi Arabia, is needed. The murderous Assad regime has killed innocents, and the announced number is 600,000 Syrians, but I believe that the number is more than that, I believe it is around 1 million since the regime used barrel bombs and all weapons and tanks and artillery, and destroyed civilization as well as archaeological sites, and did that brutally and without hesitation and it is continuing," said Erdogan. On Turkey's efforts to resolve the Syrian crisis, Erdoan stressed multiple aspects, including confronting terrorism, humanitarian efforts, and seeking a cease-fire in the war-torn country through political efforts. The Turkish president stressed that his only wish is to reach a cease-fire and stop the bloodshed". Turkey has been in contact with Russia to achieve this goal, he said, adding that progress can be made in talks in Astana, Kazakhstan. Amid all this, he said, Turkey is also confronting terrorism in Syria. Do not forget that there is a terrorist organization called Daesh in the region, and we are confronting this terrorist organization as well," he said. When did we start fighting this organization [Daesh] with full determination? When it targeted innocent Turkish citizens in the city of Gaziantep; when they targeted, using a suicide attacker, a crowd of revelers on the occasion of a wedding," said Erdogan, referring to an attack in southeastern Turkey last year that killed 57 victims and wounded dozens of others. We subsequently made a decision and went directly to Jarabulus and our forces reinforced the Free [Syrian] Army." There was not only the Daesh organization, but we were also fighting terrorism on more than one front. There were the PYD and YPG and we cleared Daesh from Al-Rai, and then we proceeded to Dabiq" and cleared it, Erdogan said. The PYD and its military wing, YPG, are Syrian branches of the terrorist PKK. The PKK -- listed as a terror organization by Turkey, the U.S., and EU -- resumed its armed campaign in July 2015 and since has been responsible for the deaths of approximately 1,100 Turkish security personnel and civilians, including women and children. Now, we reached Al-Bab [in Aleppo province] and the battle there is intense and very hot, especially now that Operation Euphrates Shield is still ongoing, and I think that within a few days Al-Bab will be cleared of Daesh," said Erdogan. The Turkish-led Operation Euphrates Shield began in late August to improve security, support coalition forces, and eliminate the terror threat along the Turkish border using Free Syrian Army fighters backed by Turkish artillery and jets. Erdogan continued, "And then we will go to Manbij because Manbij is an Arab-affiliated area, because there is the PYD and YPG, and this area should be cleared of these terrorist organization elements, and we previously expressed our concern about that to former U.S. President Barack Obama, and to the current [U.S.] administration." An upcoming target is Raqqah, a city on the northeast bank of the Euphrates River, he said. He added, As you know, Raqqah is the most important center for Daesh, so I have told Mr. Donald Trump that we, as coalition forces, are together for the goal of clearing the region of Daesh. We have also told other representatives: 'If we act jointly, we can give Raqqa to our Arab brothers, who are its owners, after ridding the region of Daesh. So, the region would reach stability, partially. Now we are following the process." Erdoan said Turkey needs the support of Gulf countries to create a safe zone between the northern Syrian city of Jarablus and the town of Al-Rai. Actually, we need Gulf countries' support, led by Saudi Arabia. Why do I say this? First of all there is a huge refugee crisis here. Where are these people? Most of these people are in Turkey; we now have 2.8 million Syrian brothers. We are now hosting them in tents, container cities, [and] in various provinces of Turkey. Of course we do not find this adequate. We say, let us declare a safe zone from terrorism between Jarablus and Al-Rai, in the southern part, an area of about 30-40 kilometers (19-25 miles). Let's also declare that place a no-fly zone. Let us also create a national army by doing training and equipping." On the region's humanitarian needs, Erdogan said Turkey is doing its duty toward Syrians by providing food, medicine, and the like. "And we will continue our support for the Syrian people as we cannot abandon them," he said. He added that he discussed the issue with my Saudi brothers and with Europe and U.S., and we can embark on a housing project and build complexes and homes to enable the refugees to go back to their lands, and to stay in these houses, and then we would take a considerable step on the way to stability, and this is our great hope". Asked whether he believes there were governments behind Daesh, Erdogan said, "We know that the Daesh organization receives support from the international community, and there are strong financial parties that support the organization". The same can be said of al-Qaeda and the African terror groups Boko Haram and al-Shabaab, he said. We know that there are states standing behind terrorist organizations and working to divide our region and tear it apart, not only from within the Muslim world but also from outside of it," Erdogan said. "The weapons possessed by terrorist organizations are a creation of the West. Through these weapons these organizations practice terrorism and spread themselves," he said, adding this is true not only of Daesh but also the PKK/PYD and YPG. I am telling you that U.S. weapons, Russian weapons, German weapons, and French weapons are here [in Syria]. I also tell these facts to officials of those countries: 'They hit us with your guns, they hit Muslims, are you tracking it, are you checking this?' When I ask this question, they always pass it on [to the next person]. We need to see and need to know about this." "This organization is a terrorist organization and has no relation to Islam," stressed Erdogan, adding that Daesh would meet its end in Syria. I believe that the coalition forces are also intent on this matter, as well as the countries in the region, led by Saudi Arabia," Erdogan said. He urged the region, the West and the world: If we do not mount a joint effort against terrorism, these terrorist organizations will become a calamity for us in other areas, in other Gulf cities, in our country and other countries."

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Turkey needs energy of youths in parliament: Erdoan - Yeni afak English