The Foreign Desk
Is Erdoğan’s crackdown backfiring?
Mar 29, 2025
Hannah Lucinda-Smith, Monocle’s Istanbul correspondent, dives into the fervor of recent protests against President Erdoğan's increasing authoritarianism. Shafak Timosh from the New York Times explores the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and the political motives behind it. Analyst Selim Kourou discusses the implications of Erdoğan's actions for Turkey's future. The conversation reveals a growing public dissent, echoes of the Gezi Park protests, and the potential for a generational shift in the political landscape.
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Quick takeaways
- The arrest of opposition figure Ekrem İmamoğlu has sparked widespread protests across Turkey, highlighting significant public discontent with Erdoğan's regime.
- Long-term authoritarian rule often leads to ineffective leadership, as seen in Erdoğan's increasingly aggressive crackdowns against dissent and political opposition.
Deep dives
The Consequences of Unchallenged Power
Long periods of unchallenged power often lead to the deterioration of leadership effectiveness and the rise of authoritarian attitudes. Historical figures like King Louis XIV exemplify this, but recent developments in Turkish politics reflect a similar trajectory under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan, who has been in power for over two decades, exhibits signs of believing himself entitled to supreme authority, as demonstrated by his aggressive actions against opposition members. The arrest of Istanbul's mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, linked to corruption allegations widely regarded as politically motivated, has sparked significant unrest and protests across Turkey.
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