On Aug. 27, Turkey’s incumbent Justice and Development Party (AKP) held its major congress and elected its new leader after the ascendance of Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the presidency: Ahmet Davutoglu. At the same event, Davutoglu gave a long address to thousands of party members in the hall, and millions of Turks on TV, outlining his vision for the future. He promised nine “restorations” regarding various issues in domestic and foreign policy — such as restoring justice, fighting corruption and drafting a new constitution. The “restoration” that made most sense to many observers, however, was related to the economy.
Davutoglu said, “The Turkish economy was in ruins in 2001 [right before the AKP]. A country then seen as a sick man realized an economic revolution. The road from the sick man of 2001 to the strong economy of today was made possible by a rational economic policy.”
