Turkey's Democratic Tipping Point

Erdogan's resounding victory could mean he's ready to set aside the politics of division and fear and govern the country again. Or it could mean just the opposite.

Purely by coincidence, I was in Istanbul when Turkey's latest national elections were held. Not surprisingly, it was one of the main topics of conversation during my visit there, and my Turkish friends had lots of interesting things to say about the AKP's victory and its implications. What did I hear, and what do I think it means?

Let's start with some truth in advertising: I am most definitely not an expert on Turkey. I wrote about the 1919 revolution in one of my books, and I analyzed Turkish alliance policy in one article back in the 1980s. That's the extent of my scholarly expertise on this subject.

Moreover, like a number of other people in the United States, my views on contemporary Turkey and the AKP have changed sharply over the past decade....

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