In Turkey, almost all print media outlets are under the strict control of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. That’s why every presidential trip abroad is hailed as a great triumph. Erodgan's recent trip to Paris was no exception.
Ahmet Insel, a prominent Turkish intellectual and former dean at the Sorbonne in Paris, observed Jan. 8, "Pro-government media welcomed Tayyip Erdogan with cries of victory on his return" from Paris. Insel saw parallels between the warm welcome Erdogan received upon his return and the warm welcome former French Prime Minister Edouard Daladier received upon returning to Paris after signing the much-maligned Munich Agreement in 1938. Daladier "was expecting protests when he returned home, but was instead welcomed by a cheering crowd on the tarmac." Daladier remarked at the time, "Ah, morons! If they would have known."
