WASHINGTON — In the US capital, Turkey is still considered a relatively stable country in its region despite the judicial investigation made public three months ago that has put Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, his family and other members of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) under pressure for alleged direct involvement in a massive corruption and bribery network; despite the government’s unprecedented application of power to prevent a deepening of the graft probe, and despite the endless stream of leaked audio tapes allegedly exposing the government’s murky deals in action. 

While there may be concern over the deteriorating rule of law in Turkey and the anti-American narrative recently adopted by Erdogan, events in Turkey are not categorized as a pressing crisis, unlike the situation in Ukraine.

“The prime minister does things all the time that we scratch our heads over,” said James Jeffrey, a former US former ambassador to Turkey (2008-2010), speaking to Al-Monitor at a March 7 event on Turkey at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. While defining Turkey’s importance “not as a model country but as an island of relative stability,” Jeffrey touched on the issues raised above.

“[Erdogan] can make the case to some degree that, OK, even if he was involved in corruption, and even if he has kind of stamped out independent media, there is a cabal of people who do not answer to the government, state or other religious group that is after him,” said Jeffrey, alluding to the US-based Sunni cleric Fethullah Gulen and his followers, whom Erdogan has accused of having formed a parallel state in Turkey in an attempt to bring him down. Jeffrey added, “There are times when countries fall off the wagon on the move toward [true democracy], and there are risks Turkey could do this. Again, we have to trust Turkish people. They know what’s going on. They’re evaluating all of this.”