This is one of many times I wish I had stayed in better contact with Druken, to see just how accurate this video is. From the outside looking in, it fit's all I have seen so far... but it would be nice to have a direct source to collaborate that with. I will have short, titled summaries for certain parts if one does not wish to watch the video.
I also want to say that I, I would assume very transparently, frame it in a way that is relatable to America's current situation... because we see and understand the world based upon the part of the world we live in.
0:00 - 2:00 - Erdogan's popularity
- Despite human rights violations, the imprisonment of over 100,000 "dissenters", installing corrupt and cronyist subordinates and being openly critical of the media and "secularlists" (Turkey's equivalent of "the left"), Erdogan has managed to win the popular vote thanks to his populism that stokes the fears of religious conservatives and his status as a savvy businessman who bolstered Turkey's economy.
2:00 - 3:50 - Ergenkon and the "Deep State"
- Targeting secularlists (labeling them the "deep state"), Erdogan used this as an excuse to delegitimise at best and arrest and try at worst political opponents, the media, intellectuals... the "elite", whom his base of religious conservatives despise.
- These conservatives have long been resentful of the "elite establishment" whom they believed were destroying their culture and their religious values. The secular intellectuals were the true enemy to Turkish identity, and further drove a wedge between the social and political classes.
- This lead to more people switching to Erdogan's side, as they viewed him as someone who was finally sticking up to the "secularists" who were the enemy, and he became someone who could do no wrong in their eyes thanks to this, his economic policies and his toughness on crime.
4:10 - 5:30 - The Gezi Park Protests and the Media's Response
- In protest of Erdogan's presidency disregarding the environment, the privatization of public spaces and services, gentrification, an estimated seven million plus Turks protested against Erdogan, with thousands being seriously injured in the resulting crackdown.
- Despite it being one of the largest protest movements in Western history, CNN Turk and other major news outlets ignored the story because it made Erdogan look bad, and this is largely because Erdogan and his party have relentlessly attempted to discredit to the press and arrested them (Turkey now has the most journalists jailed in the world).
- This has left 90% of the media being considered "Pro-Erdogan".
5:50 - 6:50 - The Purges in the Name of "National Security", "Anti-Terrorism" and Defeating the "Deep State"
- 150,000 people, following the coup attempt, were arrested by the government, with many of them being teachers, professors, educated individuals and of course just anyone who questioned the Erdogan regime.
- He was likewise given more and more political power in the name of fighting these threats.
6:55 - 9:00 - The Turkish Economy Falters and the People's Response
- Inflation and national debt have begun to balloon, and this has fired up the opposition party. However in response, Erdogan and the AKP have moved the elections forward to strike before the majority felt the effects of this.
- While Erdogan won, there are many questions over the legitimacy of the election since many of the states were controlled by Erdogan's personal appointments and loyalists.
- He also has to stay in power because he has multiple allegations against him and his family that would likely have him end up in jail without the protection the presidency offers him.
9:35 - Closing - The Speed of this Autocracy
- In less than 20 years, Erdogan has transformed the country into a stable democracy into an "elected autocracy", and has planted very deep roots of corruption and authoritarianism into the legal system.
- By using the facade of opposition parties that "have power" (when they really don't), he has managed to brush off allegations of the country being an autocracy, but nevertheless all the party lies with the AKP and the party follows what Erdogan says.
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The United States and Turkey are two very, very different countries, but we share more in common than we have differences. It would be wise to look at the path Turkey is taking and realise that many of those "horrible" things they do are exactly the same thing the GOP (particularly the more radical right) have been working towards here in the States for years now.
We may have more fail safes in place, we may be more diverse (though Turkey is an extremely diverse country itself), and these changes may not hit us as hard or as fast as they can in Turkey, but that doesn't stop them from causing immense amount of harm. And the bigger the entity, if it does begin to fall, is much harder to slow down and does far more damage.
So much of the rhetoric used by Erdogan is the exact same rhetoric used by the radical right, even by posters here... some of it with a different name ("secularist" vs "leftists"), but others word for word ("deep state", "establishment", "fake news"). This is why it's important to call that rhetoric out any time you see it; by letting it stand you only give it legitimacy.
