The world is not just Turkey
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is gaining momentum in opinion polls ahead of presidential elections next year and is now leading Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), by one percentage point, Kathimerini’s correspondent Manolis Kostidis reported Monday from Istanbul. Erdogan’s performance suggests that his nationalist agenda, menacing rhetoric against Greece and US-bashing are paying off.
The average Turk has been severely hit by inflation in the country, now near 100 percent, as basic food prices have jumped. Voters nevertheless find it hard to turn their backs on their authoritarian leader. It could be because during his many years in power, the living standards of Turkey’s middle class have gone up. Meanwhile, a growing share of Turkish citizens appear swayed by Erdogan’s nationalist ambition to revive the Ottoman Empire and reinforce the country’s global status.
After all, Erdogan has succeeded in being treated as an important international player. He has become an interlocutor for Russian President Vladimir Putin, he refuses to fall behind Western sanctions against Moscow, and he claims a mediating role between Russia and the West. Meanwhile, Turkish troops have intervened in Syria and Libya and Turkish drones have been deployed in the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan and, now, in the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. Furthermore, Erdogan snubs Washington’s warnings over the Russian-made S-400 missile defense systems.
Is Athens prepared for another Erdogan term? Some analysts believe that yet another Erdogan victory would be succeeded by a fresh about-face and a fresh rapprochement with the United States. Others say that a re-election would feed his megalomaniac ambition of turning Turkey into a regional superpower with himself as the all-powerful leader over all Islamic states in the Middle East and Africa.
Regardless of political developments in Turkey, we are evidently faced with a new international landscape, also in the wake of Moscow’s apparent decline. Athens must decide what role it wants to play in the nascent global environment and stop viewing developments through the distorting lens of Greek-Turkish disputes.
