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Erdogan’s Conspiracy Theories Contain a Paradox

Erdogan is confronting the very international forces that have helped him to consolidate his rule and expand Turkey’s reach across the region.
A supporter wears a mask showing Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan during a rally of ruling AK party in Istanbul June 16, 2013. Tens of thousands of Erdogan's supporters massed at a rally in Istanbul on Sunday, as riot police fired tear gas to break up pockets of anti-government protesters in the city center several kilometers away. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY  - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST)   - RTX10PV2
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If we are to believe Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the culprits for the mass protests that have rocked his country for over two weeks are "the interest-rate lobby," "foreign hands," and their domestic "collaborators." Some of his supporters have even better ones: the intelligence agents of Britain, France, Iran, Israel, Russia, Syria and the United States.

How spies from such a diverse group of countries agreed to, and succeeded in, destabilizing Turkey so easily and so quickly, we do not know.

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