Will voters reject Turkey’s ‘precious loneliness’?
Parliamentary elections on June 7 could signal a shift in Turkey’s foreign policy; Islamic State’s radicalization campaign extends to Iraqi Kurdistan; Iran not backing down in Syria; Soleimani promises "surprise" in battle against Islamic State.
Beginning of end of Erdogan era?
Although Recep Tayyip Erdogan will hold on to the presidency whatever the outcome of the June 7 elections for Turkey’s General National Assembly, or parliament, a strong showing by the Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) could signal the beginning of a shift away from Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party’s (AKP), including its sectarian and divisive foreign policy since the start of the Arab Spring in 2011.
Semih Idiz writes that “given his blatantly authoritarian tendencies, many Turks are worried about the prospect that Erdogan may have his way if the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which he once headed and whose 'spiritual leader' he remains, should win a major victory. Many outside Turkey, particularly in the West, having observed Erdogan’s abrasive manner in dealing with international matters, and the overtly Islamist and anti-Western tone he employs, are concerned about the direction Turkey’s foreign policy will take in such an event.”
Cengiz Candar reports that a media ban on election reporting in Turkey may have obscured progress by the HDP heading into the election.
