For most of his critics, including some foreign statesmen and politicians of the Western world, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is essentially a troublemaker. Yet he tries to portray a completely opposite image.
During his speech at the UN General Assembly last month, he said Turkey was playing a key international role in helping to resolve several international conflicts. “Although Turkey is no military or economic superpower, it has emerged as a global leader by becoming part of the solution in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere,” he said. Indeed — at least in appearance — his argument holds much more water than it is portrayed as holding by his critics in the international arena.