Reading Time: 11 minutes Although Turkey is a historically secular country, President Recep Erdoğan is an authoritarian leader who, not unlike Vladimir Putin, has curtailed freedom of speech and press to solidify his continued rule. And much like Putin (whom he still calls “dear friend”), he has unduly influenced the judiciary and the rule of law with systemic purges.
Erdogan has sought to undo Turkey’s secular tradition by appealing to religious conservatives in the rural heartlands. Such a movement away from the secular credentials instilled by Atatürk at the nation’s founding has worried both Western governments and secularists alike. Now, Erdoğan is flexing his muscles on both the international and domestic stages.
