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Opposition to US consulting firm reveals Erdogan’s weak spots

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appears as the savior of the Turkish economy after revoking the decision to work with McKinsey and thereby preventing American involvement — all at the expense of his son-in-law’s professional reputation.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) poses with the parliamentary member candidate Turkish Energy Minister Beraat Albayrak (L) on May 29, 2018 in Istanbul during an electoral meeting presenting candidates for the upcoming parliamentary elections. - Turkey holds snap parliamentary and presidential elections on June 24. (Photo by OZAN KOSE / AFP)        (Photo credit should read OZAN KOSE/AFP/Getty Images)

Turkish cartoonist Sefer Selvi published a cartoon on Oct. 13 that managed to explain several intertwined stories in a few words. The cartoon depicted Recep Tayyip Erdogan talking to the press and saying, “After American firm McKinsey, we also expelled American pastor Andrew Brunson [from] Turkey!” Indeed, Erdogan has managed to deliver a popular victory on both Justice and Development Party (AKP)-generated problems.

McKinsey is a “global management consulting firm that serves a broad mix of public, private and social sector institutions,” according to its own description. The firm has been operating in Turkey since 1995.

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