Presidency of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The presidency of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan began when

cabinet fuelled speculation that Erdoğan intended to exercise substantial control over the government.[5]

Domestic Policy

Presidential palace

Erdoğan has also received criticism for the construction of a new palace called

Ak Saray (pure white palace), which occupies approximately 50 acres of Atatürk Forest Farm (AOÇ) in Ankara.[6][7] Since the AOÇ is protected land, several court orders were issued to halt the construction of the new palace, though building work went on nonetheless.[8] The opposition described the move as a clear disregard for the rule of law.[9] The project was subject to heavy criticism and allegations were made; of corruption during the construction process, wildlife destruction and the complete obliteration of the zoo in the AOÇ in order to make way for the new compound.[10] The fact that the palace is technically illegal has led to it being branded as the 'Kaç-Ak Saray', the word kaçak in Turkish meaning 'illegal'.[11]

Ak Saray was originally designed as a new office for the Prime Minister. However, upon assuming the presidency, Erdoğan announced that the palace would become the new Presidential Palace, while the

Çankaya Köşkü will be used by the Prime Minister instead. The move was seen as a historic change since the Çankaya Köşkü had been used as the iconic office of the presidency ever since its inception. The Ak Saray has almost 1,000 rooms and cost $350 million (€270 million), leading to huge criticism at a time when mining accidents and workers' rights had been dominating the agenda.[12][13]

On 29 October 2014, Erdoğan was due to hold a Republic Day reception in the new palace to commemorate the 91st anniversary of the Republic of Turkey and to officially inaugurate the Presidential Palace. However, after most invited participants announced that they would boycott the event and a mining accident occurred in the district of Ermenek in Karaman, the reception was cancelled.[14]

Coup d'état attempt

On 15 July 2016, a coup d'état was attempted by the military, with aims to remove Erdoğan from government. By the next day, Erdoğan's government managed to reassert effective control in the country.[15] Reportedly, no government official was arrested or harmed, which among other factors raised the suspicion of a false flag event staged by the government itself.[16][17]

Turkish anti-coup rally in Istanbul, 22 July 2016

Erdoğan, as well as other government officials, have blamed an exiled cleric, and once an ally of Erdoğan, Fethullah Gülen, for staging the coup attempt.[18] Suleyman Soylu, Minister for Labor in Erdoğan's government, accused the US of planning a coup to oust Erdoğan.[19]

Erdoğan, as well as other high-ranking Turkish government officials have issued repeated demands to the US to extradite Gülen.[20][21]

Following the coup attempt, there has been a significant deterioration in Turkey-US relations. European and other world leaders have expressed their concerns over the situation in Turkey, with many of them warning Erdoğan not to use the coup attempt as an excuse for crackdown against his opponents.[22]

The rise of Islamic state and the collapse of the Kurdish peace process lead to a sharp rise in terrorist incidents in Turkey until 2016 Erdoğan was accused by his critics of having a 'soft corner' for ISIS[23] However, after the attempted coup, Erdoğan ordered the Turkish military into Syria to combat ISIS and Kurdish militant groups.[24] Erdoğan's critics have decried purges in the education system and judiciary as undermining the rule of law[25] however Erdoğan supporters argue this is a necessary measure as Gulen-linked schools cheated on entrance exams, requiring a purge in the education system and of the Gulen followers who then entered the judiciary.[26][27]

Erdoğan's plan is "to reconstitute Turkey as a presidential system. The plan would create a centralized system that would enable him to better tackle Turkey's internal and external threats. One of the main hurdles allegedly standing in his way is Fethullah Gulen's movement ..."

2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt, a groundswell of national unity and consensus emerged for cracking down on the coup plotters with a National Unity rally held in Turkey that included Islamists, secularists, liberals and nationalists.[29][30] Erdoğan has used this consensus to remove Gulen followers from the bureaucracy, curtail their role in NGOs, Turkey's Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Turkish military, with 149 Generals discharged.[31] In a foreign policy shift Erdoğan ordered the Turkish Armed Forces into battle in Syria and has liberated towns from IS control.[32] As relations with Europe soured over in the aftermath of the attempted coup, Erdoğan developed alternative relationships with Russia,[33][34] Saudi Arabia[35] and a "strategic partnership" with Pakistan,[36][37] with plans to cultivate relations through free trade agreements and deepening military relations for mutual co-operation with Turkey's regional allies.[38][39][40]

Silencing the press

Turkish journalists protesting imprisonment of their colleagues on Human Rights Day, 10 December 2016

President Erdoğan and his government press for court action against the remaining free press in Turkey. The latest newspaper that has been seized is

the European Parliament passed its annual progress report on Turkey.[43]

On 22 June 2016, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that he considered himself successful in "destroying" Turkish civil groups "working against the state",[44] a conclusion that had been confirmed some days earlier by Sedat Laçiner, Professor of International Relations and rector of the Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University: "Outlawing unarmed and peaceful opposition, sentencing people to unfair punishment under erroneous terror accusations, will feed genuine terrorism in Erdoğan's Turkey. Guns and violence will become the sole alternative for legally expressing free thought."[45]

After the coup attempt, over 200 journalists were arrested and over 120 media outlets were closed. Cumhuriyet journalists were detained in November 2016 after a long-standing crackdown on the newspaper. Subsequently, Reporters Without Borders called Erdoğan an "enemy of press freedom" and said that he "hides his aggressive dictatorship under a veneer of democracy".[46]

In April 2017, Turkey blocked all access to Wikipedia over a content dispute.[47]

State of emergency and purges

On 20 July 2016, President Erdoğan declared the

2016 Turkish purges including comprehensive purges of independent media and detention of tens of thousands of Turkish citizens politically opposed to Erdoğan.[50] More than 50,000 people have been arrested and over 160,000 fired from their jobs by March 2018.[51]

Turkish journalists Can Dündar and Erdem Gül were arrested facing sentences up to life imprisonment.

In August 2016, Erdoğan began rounding up journalists who had been publishing, or who were about to publish articles questioning corruption within the Erdoğan administration, and incarcerating them.[52] The number of Turkish journalists jailed by Turkey is higher than any other country, including all of those journalists currently jailed in North Korea, Cuba, Russia, and China combined.[53] In the wake of the

coup attempt of July 2016 the Erdoğan administration began rounding up tens of thousands of individuals, both from within the government, and from the public sector, and incarcerating them on charges of alleged "terrorism."[54][55][56] As a result of these arrests, many in the international community complained about the lack of proper judicial process in the incarceration of Erdoğan's opposition.[57]
 

In April 2017 Erdoğan successfully sponsored legislation effectively making it illegal for the Turkish legislative branch to investigate his executive branch of government.[58] Without the checks and balances of freedom of speech, and the freedom of the Turkish legislature to hold him accountable for his actions, many have likened Turkey's current form of government to a dictatorship with only nominal forms of democracy in practice.[59][60] At the time of Erdoğan's successful passing of the most recent legislation silencing his opposition, United States President Donald Trump called Erdoğan to congratulate him for his "recent referendum victory."[61]

On 29 April 2017 Erdoğan's administration began an internal

Internet block of all of the Wikipedia online encyclopedia site via Turkey's domestic Internet filtering system. This blocking action took place after the government had first made a request for Wikipedia to remove what it referred to as "offensive content". In response, Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales replied via a post on Twitter stating, "Access to information is a fundamental human right. Turkish people, I will always stand with you and fight for this right."[62][63]

In January 2016, more than a thousand academics signed a petition criticizing Turkey's military crackdown on ethnic Kurdish towns and neighbourhoods in the east of the country, such as Sur (a district of Diyarbakır), Silvan, Nusaybin, Cizre and Silopi, and asking an end to violence.[64] Erdoğan accused those who signed the petition of "terrorist propaganda", calling them "the darkest of people". He called for action by institutions and universities, stating, "Everyone who benefits from this state but is now an enemy of the state must be punished without further delay."[65] Within days, over 30 of the signatories were arrested, many in dawn-time raids on their homes. Although all were quickly released, nearly half were fired from their jobs, eliciting a denunciation from Turkey's Science Academy for such "wrong and disturbing" treatment.[66] Erdoğan vowed that the academics would pay the price for "falling into a pit of treachery".[67]

On 8 July 2018, Erdogan sacked 18,000 officials for alleged ties to US based cleric Fethullah Gülen, shortly before renewing his term as an executive president. Of those removed, 9000 were police officers with 5000 from the armed forces with the addition of hundreds of academics.[68]

2017 constitutional referendum vote

On Sunday, 16 April 2017, a

Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors.[69]

2018 currency and debt crisis

The

current account deficit and foreign-currency debt, in combination with Erdoğan's increasing authoritarianism and his unorthodox ideas about interest rate policy.[70][71][72] Economist Paul Krugman described the unfolding crisis as "a classic currency-and-debt crisis, of a kind we've seen many times", adding: "At such a time, the quality of leadership suddenly matters a great deal. You need officials who understand what's happening, can devise a response and have enough credibility that markets give them the benefit of the doubt. Some emerging markets have those things, and they are riding out the turmoil fairly well. The Erdoğan regime has none of that."[73]

Foreign policy

Syrian civil war

Erdoğan meeting U.S. President Barack Obama during the 2014 Wales summit in Newport, Wales

Amid claims that the Turkish government funds IS fighters, several Kurdish demonstrations broke out near the Turkish-Syrian border in protest against the government's inactivity.

İncirlik Air Base to conduct air strikes against IS, Erdoğan demanded that Bashar al-Assad be removed from power first.[80] Turkey lost its bid for a Security Council seat in the United Nations during the 2014 election;[81] the unexpected result[82] is believed to have been a reaction to Erdoğan's hostile treatment of ethnic Kurds fighting ISIS on the Syrian border[83][84] and a rebuke of his willingness to support IS-aligned insurgents opposed to Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.[83][84]

As President, Erdoğan has been a strong advocate of an

In July 2015, Turkey became involved in the war against ISIS. The Turkish military has simultaneously launched airstrikes against Kurdistan Workers' Party bases in Iraq.[88] In July 2015, a raid by US special forces on a compound housing the Islamic State's "chief financial officer", Abu Sayyaf, produced evidence that Turkish officials directly dealt with ranking IS members.[89]

Bilateral relations

Erdoğan, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Mahmoud Abbas attend Moscow's Cathedral Mosque opening ceremony, 23 September 2015
Erdoğan meets with President Donald Trump in the Roosevelt Room at the White House, Washington, D.C., 16 May 2017

In July 2014, after Mohamed Morsi, Egypt's first president to gain power through an election, was ousted by the military in 2013, Erdoğan labeled newly elected Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi an "illegitimate tyrant".[90] The Egyptian Foreign Ministry warned that the Egypt–Turkey relationship would be worsened.[91]

In February 2016 Erdoğan threatened to

send the millions of refugees in Turkey to EU member states,[92] saying: "We can open the doors to Greece and Bulgaria anytime and we can put the refugees on buses ... So how will you deal with refugees if you don't get a deal? Kill the refugees?"[93]

In an interview to the news magazine Der Spiegel, the German minister of defence Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday, 11 March 2016, that the refugee crisis had made good cooperation between EU and Turkey an "existentially important" issue. "Therefore it is right to advance now negotiations on Turkey's EU accession".[94]

In its resolution "The functioning of democratic institutions in Turkey" from 22 June 2016, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe warned that "recent developments in Turkey pertaining to freedom of the media and of expression, erosion of the rule of law and the human rights violations in relation to anti-terrorism security operations in south-east Turkey have ... raised serious questions about the functioning of its democratic institutions."[95][96]

Relations between Turkey and Israel began to normalize after Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu officially apologized for the death of the nine Turkish activists during the Gaza flotilla raid.

2014 Israel–Gaza conflict, Erdoğan accused Israel of being "more barbaric than Hitler",[98] and conducting "state terrorism" and a "genocide attempt" against the Palestinians.[99]

As of 2015, Turkey is actively supporting the

launched its operations in Syria to end Assad's rule,[105] but retracted his statement shortly afterwards.[106]

In March 2015, Erdoğan said that Turkey supported the

Houthis and forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh.[107]

Erdoğan is defender of the

2014 Russian annexation of Crimea; calling it "Crimea's occupation".[109]

In January 2017, Erdoğan said that the withdrawal of Turkish troops from Northern Cyprus is "out of the question" and Turkey will be in Cyprus "forever".[110]

Erdoğan, Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani met in Sochi to discuss Syria, 22 November 2017

In March 2017, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated to the Turks in Europe "Make not three, but five children. Because you are the future of Europe. That will be the best response to the injustices against you." This has been interpreted as an imperialist call for demographic warfare.[111]

Bilateral trade between Turkey and China increased from $1 billion a year in 2002 to $27 billion annually in 2017.[112] Erdoğan has stated that Turkey might consider joining the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation instead of the European Union.[113]

In June 2017 during a speech, Erdoğan called the

isolation of Qatar as "inhumane and against Islamic values" and that "victimising Qatar through smear campaigns serves no purpose".[114]

According to The Economist, Erdoğan is the first Turkish leader to take the Turkish diaspora seriously, which has created friction within these diaspora communities and between the Turkish government and several of its European counterparts.[115]

In December 2017, President Erdoğan issued a warning to Donald Trump, after the U.S. President acknowledged Jerusalem as Israel's capitol. Erdoğan stated, "Jerusalem is a red line for Muslims", indicating that naming Jerusalem as Israel's capitol would alienate Palestinians and other Muslims from the city, undermining hopes at a future Capitol of a Palestinian State.[116] Erdoğan called Israel a "terrorist state".[117] Naftali Bennett dismissed the threats, claiming "Erdoğan does not miss an opportunity to attack Israel".[116]

In January 2018, the Turkish military and its

YPG Kurdish militia.[118][119] On 10 April, Erdoğan rebuked a Russian demand to return Afrin to Syrian government control.[120]

Presidents of Turkey, Azerbaijan and Ukraine at the opening ceremony of the Trans-Anatolian gas pipeline, 12 June 2018

In February 2018, President Erdoğan expressed Turkish support of the

Republic of Macedonia's position during negotiations over the Macedonia naming dispute saying that Greece's position is wrong.[121]

In March 2018, President Erdoğan criticized the

National Intelligence Organization of Turkey on Kosovo's territory that led to the arrest of six people allegedly associated with the Gülen movement.[122][123]

In May 2018, British Prime Minister

journalists jailed in Turkey are "terrorists". Turkey has imprisoned more than 160 journalists,[125] making it the world's biggest jailer of journalists.[126]

Erdoğan meeting U.S. President Joe Biden during the 2022 Madrid summit in Madrid, Spain
Erdoğan meeting President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen during the 2023 Vilnius summit in Vilnius, Lithuania

On 1 August 2018, the U.S. Department of Treasury sanctioned two senior

Turkish government ministers who were involved in the detention of American pastor Andrew Brunson.[127] Erdoğan said that the U.S. behavior will force Turkey to look for new friends and allies.[128] The U.S.–Turkey tensions appear to be the most serious diplomatic crisis between the NATO allies in years.[129][130]
In May 2022, President Erdoğan blocked the memberships of Finland and Sweden, which wanted to become members of NATO, on the grounds that they were supporting the followers of PKK, YPG and Fethullah Gülen.[131] In September 2022, President Erdoğan announced that his country aims to become a member of the
Shanghai Cooperation Organization.[132]
In September 2023, President Erdoğan announced that the European Union was well into a rupture in its relations with Turkey and that they would part ways during Turkey's European Union membership process.[133]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Düşük oy eleştirilerine "Peygamber"li yanıt iddiası". nediyor.com. Archived from the original on 12 February 2015.
  2. ^ "Erdoğan: "Seçilirsem tarafsız olmayacağım"" [Erdoğan: "I will not be impartial if selected"]. CNN Türk (in Turkish). 7 August 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  3. ^ Ozerkan, Fulya; Williams, Stuart (11 August 2014). "Turkey's Erdogan prepares for strongman president role". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
  4. ^ "Turkey's Davutoglu expected to be a docile Prime Minister with Erdogan calling the shots". Fox News. Associated Press. 21 August 2014. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
  5. ^ Yeliz Candemir (29 August 2014). "New Turkish Cabinet Shows Continuity With Erdogan Legacy". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
  6. ^ Erdoğan's 'Ak Saray' likened to Alamut Castle, Ceausescu's Palace(www.hurriyetdailynews.com, retrieved on 9 April 2016)
  7. ^ Tim Arango (31 October 2014). "Turkish Leader, Using Conflicts, Cements Power". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
  8. ^ Christopher Cameron (1 November 2014). "Turkish President drops $350m on new palace". The Real Deal: New York Real Estate News. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
  9. ^ "Erdoğan'dan 'Kaç-Ak Saray' için yorum" [How Erdoğan's 'illegal palace' looks]. Cumhuriyet (in Turkish). 1 November 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  10. ^ "Critical media block imposed on 'Ak Saray' amid opening graft concerns". Today's Zaman. 29 October 2014. Archived from the original on 25 November 2014. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
  11. ^ "Kaç-Ak Saray'a mehterli tanıtım" ["Illegal" palace promotional material]. Cumhuriyet (in Turkish). 31 October 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  12. ^ "'Ak-Saray' Alman basınında" [Ak Saray in the German press]. Zaman (in Turkish). 30 October 2014. Archived from the original on 1 December 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  13. ^ Kadri Gursel (17 September 2014). "Erdogan's $350m presidential palace". Al-Monitor. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
  14. ^ "29 Ekim resepsiyonu iptal" [29 October reception cancelled] (in Turkish). 30 October 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  15. ^ Levin, Ned; Candemir, Yeliz (16 July 2016). "Turkey's Erdogan Reasserts Control After Attempted Coup". The Wall Street Journal. Istanbul. Archived from the original on 16 July 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  16. ^ "Critics Raise False Flag After Failed Military Coup In Turkey". Vocativ. 16 July 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  17. ^ Fontanella-Khan, Amana (16 July 2016). "Fethullah Gülen: Turkey coup may have been 'staged' by Erdoğan regime". The Guardian. Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania. Archived from the original on 16 July 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  18. ^ "This U.S.-Based Cleric Is Being Blamed for Coup Attempt". NBC News. 16 July 2016.
  19. ^ "US government behind Turkish coup attempt, Turkish minister says". 16 July 2016.
  20. ^ Euan McKirdy; Hande Atay Alam (11 August 2016). "Turkey's Erdogan demands US hand over cleric". CNN.
  21. ^ editor, Patrick Wintour Diplomatic (28 July 2016). "Turkey officials to demand extradition of Fethullah Gülen from US". The Guardian. {{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  22. ^ Bodkin, Henry; Millward, David; Ensor, Josie; Rothwell, James (17 July 2016). "Turkey coup attempt: World leaders warn President Erdogan not to use uprising as excuse for crackdown as more than 6,000 arrested". The Telegraph.
  23. ^ Simon Tisdall. "Turkey paying a price for Erdoğan's wilful blindness to Isis threat | World news". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
  24. ^ Kareem Shaheen (24 August 2016). "Turkey sends tanks into Syria in operation aimed at Isis and Kurds | World news". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  25. ^ Macdonald, Alastair (18 July 2016). "'No excuse' for Turkey to abandon rule of law: EU's Mogherini". Reuters. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  26. ^ "Fethullah Gulen's Race to the Top Is Over". Foreign Policy. 5 August 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  27. ^ "Turkey: 21 suspects detained in civil service exam cheating scandal". Daily Sabah. 15 June 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  28. ^ Salman, Rafi (20 November 2016). "Erdogan's global anti-Gulen drive hits Pakistan". www.atimes.com. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  29. ^ McKirdy, Euan (8 August 2016). "Turkey's Erdogan tells million-strong unity rally: I support death penalty - CNN.com". Edition.cnn.com. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  30. ^ "President Erdogan and opposition unite in Turkey rally - News from". Al Jazeera. 7 August 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  31. ^ Agence France-Presse (28 July 2016). "Turkish generals resign as government prepares to overhaul armed forces | World news". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  32. ^ Reporting by Orhan Coskun; Writing by Nick Tattersall (16 October 2016). "Turkish operations in Syria to continue after Dabiq liberated: Erdogan's spokesman". Reuters. Retrieved 16 April 2017.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  33. ^ Shaun Walker in Moscow and Jennifer Rankin in Brussels (9 August 2016). "Erdoğan and Putin discuss closer ties in first meeting since jet downing | World news". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  34. ^ "One-year halt in Turkey, Russia ties 'over': Turkish PM - DIPLOMACY". Hurriyetdailynews.com. 6 December 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  35. ^ "KSA welcomes Erdogan's success against coup attempt". Arab News. 21 November 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  36. ^ "Turkey, Pakistan vow to strengthen ties further". Aa.com.tr. 17 November 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  37. ^ "Pakistan, Turkey reaffirm commitment to intensify mutual cooperation". Radio.gov.pk. 27 November 2016. Archived from the original on 20 April 2017. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  38. ^ Yusuf Hati̇p (15 November 2016). "Turkey, Pakistan free trade deal to be ready in Dec". Aa.com.tr. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  39. ^ David Rider (31 October 2016). "Pakistan, Turkey in navy drills | Maritime Security Review". Marsecreview.com. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  40. ^ "Pakistan to sell 52 Super Mushshak aircraft to Turkey | Top Story". thenews.com.pk. 24 November 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  41. ^ Turkey Seizes Newspaper, Zaman, as Press Crackdown Continues (www.nytimes.com, 4 March 2016)
  42. ^ Turkey's Erdogan must reform or resign (www.washingtonpost.com, 10 March 2016)
  43. ^ "European Parliament slams Turkey over deterioration of rights and democracy". Deutsche Welle. 14 April 2016. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  44. ^ "Erdoğan says 'civil society groups working against Turkish state' largely destroyed". Hürriyet Daily News. 22 June 2016. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  45. ^ "Opponent or Terrorist? The dramatically changing nature of Turkish democracy". The Turkish Sun. 16 June 2016. Archived from the original on 19 June 2016. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  46. ^ "Reporters Without Borders labels Erdogan as 'enemy of press freedom'". Deutsche Welle. 2 November 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  47. ^ Shieber, Jonathan (29 April 2017). "Wikipedia has been blocked in Turkey". Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  48. ^ Turkey declares a state of emergency for three months (20 July 2016, www.washingtonpost.com)
  49. ^ Turkey's parliament approves state of emergency (21 July 2016, www.wilx.com)
  50. ^ "Erdogan derailing Turkey's promising future". The Japan Times. 8 November 2016.
  51. ^ "Turkey orders 70 army officers detained over Gulen links - CNN Turk". Reuters. 29 March 2018.
  52. ^ Erdoğan wants to silence all opposition media Deutsche Welle. 3 August 2016. Downloaded 19 April 2017.
  53. ^ Record number of journalists jailed as Turkey, China, Egypt pay scant price for repression, Committee to Protect Journalists (December 13, 2017).
  54. ^ Morris, Loveday (19 July 2016). "Turkey suspends more than 15,000 education workers in widening purge". The Washington Post. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
  55. ^ After the coup, the counter-coup, 23 July 2016, The Economist
  56. ^ "The Counter-Coup in Turkey". The New York Times. 16 July 2016. Archived from the original on 16 July 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  57. ^ Turkey’s bleak media scene: Arrests, closures and closed trials Los Angeles Times. 3 March 2017. By Roy Gutman. Downloaded 19 April 2017.
  58. ^ Erdoğan referendum threatens democracy in Turkey American Magazine. By Ryan Richardson. 4 April 2017. Downloaded 19 Apr 2017.
  59. ^ Turkey's Vote Makes Erdoğan Effectively a Dictator The New Yorker. By Dexter Filkins. 17 April 2017. Downloaded 19 April 2017.
  60. ^ Ertug Tombus, "The Fall of Turkish Democracy", Publicseminar.org, 3 March 2017. Downloaded 19 April 2017.
  61. ^ Trump to Erdoğan: Congrats On Your Dictatorship! The Nation. By John Nichols. 18 April 2017. Downloaded 19 April 2017.
  62. ^ Turkey Purges 4,000 More Officials, and Blocks Wikipedia New York Times. By Patrick Kingsley. 30 April 2017. Downloaded 30 April 2017.
  63. ^ Twitter post by Jimbo Wales Downloaded 1 May 2017
  64. ^ Samim Akgönül (8 January 2016). "Scholars for Peace: we will not be a party to this crime". Today's Zaman. Archived from the original on 22 January 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  65. ^ Brendan O'Malley (15 January 2016). "Lecturers detained, threatened for opposing military action". University World News (396). Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  66. ^ Bohannon, John (19 January 2016). "Turkish academics pay price for speaking out on Kurds". sciencemag.org. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  67. ^ "Turkish president vows 'treasonous' academics will pay the price". Hürriyet Daily News. 20 January 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
  68. ^ "Turkey suddenly sacks 18,000 officials in emergency decree, days before Erdogan is sworn in again". Independent. 9 July 2018.
  69. ^ "Why is Turkey holding a referendum?". www.bbc.com. 10 February 2017. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  70. ^ Borzou Daragahi (25 May 2018). "Erdogan Is Failing Economics 101". Foreign Policy.
  71. ^ "Inflation rise poses challenge to Erdogan as election looms". Financial Times. 5 June 2018.
  72. ^ Matt O'Brien (13 July 2018). "Turkey's economy looks like it's headed for a big crash". Washington Post.
  73. ^ Paul Krugman (24 May 2018). "Turmoil for Turkey's Trump". New York Times.
  74. ^ "Kurds protest againstTurkey as IS advances on Kobane". BBC News. 7 October 2014. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
  75. ^ "Turks PM blames opposition, world powers as protest death toll rises". Hürriyet Daily News. 8 October 2014. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
  76. ^ Mark Lowen (8 October 2014). "Turkey Kurds: Kobane protests leave 19 dead". BBC News. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
  77. ^ "President Erdogan at the NATO Summit in Wales". Presidency of the Republic of Turkey. 4 September 2014. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
  78. ^ "Erdogan, Obama to meet at NATO summit amid strained ties". Today's Zaman. 3 September 2014. Archived from the original on 3 November 2014. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
  79. ^ Carter, Chelsea J.; Brumfield, Ben; Mazloumsaki, Sara (6 October 2014). "Vice President Joe Biden apologises to Turkey, UAE". CNN. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
  80. ^ Simon Tisdall (7 October 2014). "US and Turkey's push-and-shove diplomacy has Kurds in the middle". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
  81. ^ "Turkey loses out on UN Security Council seat". BBC News. 17 October 2014. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
  82. ^ Avni, Benny (16 October 2014). "Turkey Loses U.N. Security Council Seat in Huge Upset". Newsweek. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  83. ^ a b Idiz, Semih (17 October 2014). "UN vote confirms Turkey's waning influence". Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East. Archived from the original on 6 January 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  84. ^ a b Smart, James (28 October 2014). "Why Turkey lost its UN Security Council bid". The Press Project. Archived from the original on 24 October 2015. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  85. ^ "Senior Western official: Links between Turkey and ISIS are now 'undeniable'". Yahoo Finance. 28 July 2015.
  86. ^ "Erdoğan'a vatana ihanetten suç duyurusu". sozcu.com.tr. 29 May 2015.
  87. ^ "Cumhuriyet Gazetesi – (Video) Türkiye'yi sarsan kaset: İşte Başbakan ve Bilal'in ses kaydı!". cumhuriyet.com.tr. 25 February 2014.
  88. ^ "Turkey steps up bombing – but on Kurds, not Islamic State". Los Angeles Times. 29 July 2015.
  89. ^ Bertrand, Natasha (28 July 2015). "Senior Western official: Links between Turkey and ISIS are now 'undeniable'".
  90. ^ "Turkey PM slams Egypt's 'illegitimate tyrant' Sisi". Yahoo News. 18 July 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  91. ^ "Cairo Warns Ankara of Worsening Relations". Wall Street Journal. 26 July 2014. Archived from the original on 26 July 2014.
  92. ^ "Erdogan to EU: 'We're not idiots', threatens to send refugees". EUobserver. 11 February 2016.
  93. ^ "Turkey's Erdogan threatened to flood Europe with migrants: Greek website". Reuters. 8 February 2016.
  94. ^ Germany voices support for accelerating Turkey-EU talks Archived 13 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine (www.trtworld.com, 12 March 2016)
  95. ^ "Venice Commission Declaration on Interference with Judicial Independence in Turkey. Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Resolution 2121 (2016)" (PDF). 22 June 2016. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  96. ^ "Rights violations, terror ops threaten Turkey's democratic institutions: PACE". Hürriyet Daily News. 23 June 2016. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  97. ^ Keinon, Herb (22 March 2014). "Netanyahu apologizes to Turkey over Gaza flotilla". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
  98. ^ "Turkish Prime Minister says Israel is 'more barbaric than Hitler'". The Independent. 20 July 2014. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
  99. ^ Ben Solomon, Ariel (14 July 2014). "Erdogan accuses Israel of 'using terrorism' in its operations against Hamas in Gaza". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
  100. ^ Kim Sengupta (12 May 2015). "Turkey and Saudi Arabia alarm the West by backing Islamist extremists the Americans had bombed in Syria". The Independent.
  101. ^ "Gulf allies and 'Army of Conquest'". Al-Ahram Weekly. 28 May 2015.
  102. ^ "'Army of Conquest' rebel alliance pressures Syria regime". Yahoo News. 28 April 2015.
  103. ^ Erin Banco (11 April 2015). "Jabhat Al-Nusra And ISIS Alliance Could Spread Beyond Damascus". International Business Times.
  104. ^ "How would a deal between al-Qaeda and Isil change Syria's civil war?". The Daily Telegraph. 14 November 2014
  105. ^ "Turkey entered Syria to end al-Assad's rule: President Erdoğan". Hurriyet Daily News. 29 November 2016.
  106. ^ "Erdogan's Syria policy hits dead end in Aleppo". Al-Monitor. 4 December 2016. Archived from the original on 7 December 2016.
  107. ^ "Turkey supports Saudi mission in Yemen, says Iran must withdraw". France24. 26 March 2015.
  108. ^ "To Defeat Russia, Ukraine Creates Muslim Military Unit Made Up Of Crimean Tatars". International Business Times. 3 August 2015.
  109. Radio Free Europe
    (20 August 2016)
  110. ^ "Erdogan Vows to Keep Turkish Troops in Cyprus as Talks Stall". Bloomberg. 13 January 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  111. ^ Goldman, Russell (17 March 2017). "'You Are the Future of Europe,' Erdogan Tells Turks". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  112. ^ Taylor, Adam (16 May 2017). "U.S. ally Turkey may have a new best friend in Beijing". Washington Post. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  113. ^ "China says would consider Turkish membership of security bloc". Reuters. 21 November 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  114. ^ "Turkey's Erdogan decries Qatar's 'inhumane' isolation". BBC. 13 June 2017.
  115. ^ "How Recep Tayyip Erdogan seduces Turkish migrants in Europe". The Economist. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  116. ^ a b "Jerusalem: Turkey warns Trump against crossing 'red line'". BBC News. 5 December 2017.
  117. ^ "Erdogan: Israel is a terrorist state". Al-Jazeera. 11 December 2017.
  118. ^ "Erdogan: Operation in Syria's Afrin has begun". Al Jazeera.
  119. ^ Turkish army hit village in Syria's Afrin with suspected gas: Kurdish YPG, Observatory. Reuters. 16 February 2018.
  120. ^ "Turkey refutes Russian call for Syria's Afrin". 10 April 2018.
  121. ^ Neos Kosmos (5 February 2018). "Turkey's president claims Greece's stance over 'Macedonia' name dispute is wrong". Neos Kosmos. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  122. ^ "Erdogan slams Kosovo PM over sackings after Gulen-linked deportations". Euronews. 31 March 2018. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  123. ^ "Kosovo Minister and Spy Chief Sacked Over Turkish Arrests". BIRN. 30 March 2018. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  124. ^ "Post-Brexit, the UK will need Turkey for trade – and Erdogan is using that to his advantage". The Independent. 14 May 2018.
  125. ^ "Erdoğan ends UK state visit by calling jailed journalists 'terrorists'". The Guardian. 15 May 2018.
  126. ^ "Number of Jailed Journalists Hits Record High, Advocacy Group Says". The New York Times. 13 December 2017.
  127. ^ "US sanctions Turkish officials over detained pastor". Politico. August 1, 2018.
  128. ^ "US changing strategic NATO partner with pastor, Turkish President Erdoğan says". Hürriyet Daily News. August 11, 2018.
  129. ^ "US sanctions Turkey over Pastor Brunson detention". The National. August 1, 2018.
  130. ^ "Turkey, US in diplomatic crisis after ministers hit by sanctions". The Times of India. August 2, 2018.
  131. ^ "Erdogan says Turkey not supportive of Finland, Sweden joining NATO". reuters. 13 May 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-05-13. Retrieved 2022-05-16.
  132. ^ "Cumhurbaşkanı Erdoğan: Hedefimiz Şanghay İşbirliği Örgütü'ne tam üyelik" (in Turkish). NTV. 2022-09-17.
  133. ^ "Turkey could part ways with EU if necessary, Erdogan says". Reuters. 16 September 2023.