Since the coup d’etats happened last year which attempted to remove President Erdogan from power failed, the situation of Turkey has been going different from times. While it is changing, it is not changing positively, but in fact, it is going to the road of totalitarianism which the AKP led by Erdogan, is removing the core of democratic development that Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founding father of modern Turkish Republic, had done.
People who observed about Turkish politics, which often praises Turkey as the few Islamic country that have a secular tradition that differ from its neighbors like Iran or the Arab countries, have always questioned, why does Turkey begin to move away from it, and turning itself into a fortress of totalitarianism, suppression and disregarding the freedom and rights of people, which Mustafa Kemal Ataturk had built it for the Republic? And even today they go clash with Germany over AKP’s rule and Erdogan’s regime, why such this happens? It may be very hard to believe, but current Turkey is reminding a smaller version of Putin’s Russia.
There is always a question over, why, after many years Turkey and the EU try to resolve its difference and begin to seek a closer and much more influential cooperation that share benefits to pave way for Turkey joining the European Union, now Erdogan is removing this effort, and attempt to build a “Greater Turkey” and threatening the goods that both EU and Turkey share together.
The Turkish Republic is going to be a hidden Sultanate, when Erdogan continues clashing with European leaders about what would be the future of Turkey in the EU. Erdogan, the man who doesn’t believe on anything but himself and his power to keep the survival, has been a populist who use the situation in Europe to manipulate for his own benefits, has slowly decreasing the opportunity of Turkey and makes Turkey going closer into more and more hostilities and aggressive. It is what Vladimir Putin has always been doing for years, by disregarding the opportunities of Russia itself if this “doesn’t fit for Putin’s totalitarianism”. It is a way the Russian regime always do in front of its own people.
The European Union is facing a hard task because of Turkey’s aggressive move. On a side, Turkey is their closest ally, and trade between Turkey and the EU is much bigger and larger (200 million USD) comparing to Turkey’s trade with Russia (80 million USD), the NATO connection and the similar values of democracy, freedom and development; but on the other side, Turkey is remaining a difficult place to be, as Turkish Government is increasing its arrest against its opposition, shutting down independent newspapers, and a growing totalitarian movement. Erdogan is not willing to make Turkey integrate into new more modernized world, but they are going to old core Kremlin-ruling system.
In an aspect, the way Russia is doing somehow influenced Turkish AKP regime. Thus, Turkey is driving into Russia’s political orbit. It is not what people can think about and it should never be in the first place. Sadly, under Erdogan, no one can feel sure about Turkey’s future.
Indeed, right now Turkey is still our ally, but future of Turkey may go to totalitarianism like Russia’s old core regime of Putin. But there are something more that people should be warned about Erdogan’s Turkey.
