ERDOAN

Today, a quarter of a century since Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his party assumed power, the corrupt, illiberal and undemocratic character of the regime is in full view. A total disregard for the rule of law, the muzzling of the print and electronic media, the arrest and imprisonment of hundreds of journalists, writers, academics, and human rights defenders as well as elected members of opposition parties -all without due process- are common occurrences that eventually succeeded in intimidating the public at large. Self-censorship has now become noticeable even to Western eyes that, up until now, were the most vocal defenders of the regime. The use of lengthy -months and even years- of detentions without formal charges being brought against the suspects, are now viewed as hidden forms of convictions without the benefit of trials. These developments have all contributed to paint a picture of a systematic reign of terror carried out by the regime against its enemies. During those years the ruling party dominated the pages of every Western newspaper as Erdogan became the poster child of the Western Liberal establishment. They were convinced that an Islamist regime in need of support against any military coup was their best bet to keep Turkey in the Western camp as a totally dependent and reliable business partner and lucrative market for their goods. But when Turkey began cozying up to Hamas, Hezbollah or to Iran and began antagonizing Israel that attention was suddenly focused on Turkey's foreign shift.