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Today's Zaman, Turkey
dec 29 2013
Can the EU be blamed for ErdoÄ?an's authoritarianism?
Å?AHÄ°N ALPAY
[email protected]
The other day a Brazilian reader of my column asked: `Do you think
there are similarities between protest demonstrations in Taksim,
Ä°stanbul, and Maidan in Kiev?' And more interestingly: `Is it possible
that difficulties Turkey encountered in relations with the European
Union have played a role in ErdoÄ?an's slide into authoritarianism?'
There are indeed some similarities between this summer's protests in
Taksim and those in Maidan this winter. I believe that in both cases
young people belonging to educated middle-classes have demanded
freedom and democracy in line with EU norms. In both cases their
governments have tried to suppress the protests by force and by
organizing counter-demonstrations. Both Turkey and Ukraine are divided
between those who favor EU integration and those who do not.
It may be speculated that the EU's resistance to Turkey's European
integration has to a certain extent played a role in Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an's slide into authoritarianism. If the EU had
consistently backed its accession process, Ankara may have
consolidated democracy and rule of law, so that such a concentration
of power could have been avoided. This, of course, is mere
speculation. The real causes of ErdoÄ?an's slide into authoritarianism
certainly lie elsewhere.
ErdoÄ?an, after taking half of the vote in the last general election,
and convinced to have taken the military under control, began to
behave with overblown self-confidence. Since he believed he alone knew
what was best for the country, he decided to take all power in his own
hands. Taking advantage of the weakness of the opposition parties, he
decided that he could do anything he liked and only be held
accountable in elections. And thus he increasingly turned towards a
Vladimir Putin-like arbitrary and authoritarian rule, aiming to
consolidate this by instituting a `Turkish-style presidentialism' that
would effectively avoid the legislative and the judiciary to stand in
the way of the executive.
I do not, however, share the view that `ErdoÄ?an is an Islamist who
wants to move Turkey away from the West,' as argued by many local and
foreign pundits. Judging from his performance so far, I believe he is
a pragmatic religious nationalist. When he said `Let us into the
Shanghai Cooperation Organization and save us from the trouble of
trying to get into the EU' to Putin, it seemed he was only expressing
his anger over Turkey's blocked accession. When his government
appeared to flirt with the idea of buying a Chinese missile defense
system, the motive was most likely to induce rival Western companies
to come up with more favorable offers.
ErdoÄ?an's government has most recently taken initiatives that are
likely to please Turkey's Western allies. Such initiatives include
unshelving of the protocols signed with Armenia four years ago and the
opening of borders and establishment of diplomatic ties, and
restarting talks for a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus problem.
There are even signs indicating an initiative to mend Turkey's ties
with Israel. Ties with the West are so important for Turkey that, at
least for the foreseeable future, whichever party is in power Ankara
is not at all likely to move away from the Western alliance while it
pursues its national interests in other directions as well. How well
governments serve national interests is, of course, another matter.
ErdoÄ?an's demagogic discourse blaming foreign (the US, the EU and
Israel) and local (the Gülen movement and the `interest lobby')
conspiracies for the mass demonstrations against his government and
the corruption probe against several ministers, bureaucrats and
favored businessmen is an example of the well-known tactic of
deflecting responsibility onto others employed by all governments who
fall into deep trouble, avoiding facing their mistakes and
wrongdoings, and attempting to cover them up. With such discourse
ErdoÄ?an appears to damage even his own Foreign Ministry. Doubts about
whether this tactic can save his government are growing.
http://www.todayszaman.com/columnist/sahin-alpay_335224_can-the-eu-be-blamed-for-erdogans-authoritarianism.html
dec 29 2013
Can the EU be blamed for ErdoÄ?an's authoritarianism?
Å?AHÄ°N ALPAY
[email protected]
The other day a Brazilian reader of my column asked: `Do you think
there are similarities between protest demonstrations in Taksim,
Ä°stanbul, and Maidan in Kiev?' And more interestingly: `Is it possible
that difficulties Turkey encountered in relations with the European
Union have played a role in ErdoÄ?an's slide into authoritarianism?'
There are indeed some similarities between this summer's protests in
Taksim and those in Maidan this winter. I believe that in both cases
young people belonging to educated middle-classes have demanded
freedom and democracy in line with EU norms. In both cases their
governments have tried to suppress the protests by force and by
organizing counter-demonstrations. Both Turkey and Ukraine are divided
between those who favor EU integration and those who do not.
It may be speculated that the EU's resistance to Turkey's European
integration has to a certain extent played a role in Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip ErdoÄ?an's slide into authoritarianism. If the EU had
consistently backed its accession process, Ankara may have
consolidated democracy and rule of law, so that such a concentration
of power could have been avoided. This, of course, is mere
speculation. The real causes of ErdoÄ?an's slide into authoritarianism
certainly lie elsewhere.
ErdoÄ?an, after taking half of the vote in the last general election,
and convinced to have taken the military under control, began to
behave with overblown self-confidence. Since he believed he alone knew
what was best for the country, he decided to take all power in his own
hands. Taking advantage of the weakness of the opposition parties, he
decided that he could do anything he liked and only be held
accountable in elections. And thus he increasingly turned towards a
Vladimir Putin-like arbitrary and authoritarian rule, aiming to
consolidate this by instituting a `Turkish-style presidentialism' that
would effectively avoid the legislative and the judiciary to stand in
the way of the executive.
I do not, however, share the view that `ErdoÄ?an is an Islamist who
wants to move Turkey away from the West,' as argued by many local and
foreign pundits. Judging from his performance so far, I believe he is
a pragmatic religious nationalist. When he said `Let us into the
Shanghai Cooperation Organization and save us from the trouble of
trying to get into the EU' to Putin, it seemed he was only expressing
his anger over Turkey's blocked accession. When his government
appeared to flirt with the idea of buying a Chinese missile defense
system, the motive was most likely to induce rival Western companies
to come up with more favorable offers.
ErdoÄ?an's government has most recently taken initiatives that are
likely to please Turkey's Western allies. Such initiatives include
unshelving of the protocols signed with Armenia four years ago and the
opening of borders and establishment of diplomatic ties, and
restarting talks for a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus problem.
There are even signs indicating an initiative to mend Turkey's ties
with Israel. Ties with the West are so important for Turkey that, at
least for the foreseeable future, whichever party is in power Ankara
is not at all likely to move away from the Western alliance while it
pursues its national interests in other directions as well. How well
governments serve national interests is, of course, another matter.
ErdoÄ?an's demagogic discourse blaming foreign (the US, the EU and
Israel) and local (the Gülen movement and the `interest lobby')
conspiracies for the mass demonstrations against his government and
the corruption probe against several ministers, bureaucrats and
favored businessmen is an example of the well-known tactic of
deflecting responsibility onto others employed by all governments who
fall into deep trouble, avoiding facing their mistakes and
wrongdoings, and attempting to cover them up. With such discourse
ErdoÄ?an appears to damage even his own Foreign Ministry. Doubts about
whether this tactic can save his government are growing.
http://www.todayszaman.com/columnist/sahin-alpay_335224_can-the-eu-be-blamed-for-erdogans-authoritarianism.html