The New Sultan

Turkey will play a critical geopolitical role in the events of the Middle East. After the attempted coup of July 2016, the spotlight is on Recep Tayyip Erdogan—the powerful leader of the country whose increasingly authoritarian regime has heightened tensions both within and outside the country. 
Erdogan’s crackdown on dissent has been brutal and consistent—hundreds of journalists arrested, academics officially banned from leaving the country, university deans fired and nearly half of the highest-ranking army officers in custody. As opponents accuse his Justice and Development Party (AKP) of heavy-handedness, Erdogan promises to bring order and stability under a ‘strongman’. 
Here, leading Turkish expert Soner Cagaptay looks at where Erdogan comes from in Turkish history, what he believes in and how he has cemented his rule. The New Sultan tells the story of the increasingly Islamic Turkey Erdogan has built, and assesses the threats he faces—from the liberal youth to the Gulen movement, the army plotters and the fallout from the Kurdish question.