Can Dündar: Erdoğan belgeselinin sonu #erdoğan #candündar

Since arriving in Germany, this is the question I've heard most often from Germans: "Why do Turks, especially those raised in a democratic society like Germany, support Erdoğan?" I've been trying to answer it as best I can. Now there's a documentary that makes this answer easier: The public broadcaster WDR has aired a four-part documentary about Erdoğan. It tells his political journey from his time as Mayor of Istanbul in 1994 to the present day, using detailed archival footage. The documentary doesn't feature interviews with his family, his close circle in the Presidential Palace, or prominent journalists. Nevertheless, it provides enough data to make it easier for the average German viewer to understand him and his rise. For those of us who have spent the last quarter century with him, the documentary offers a chance for reassessment. You see how he turned his personal weaknesses and the mistakes of others into advantages: how he distilled popularity from his illegal shantytown, his headscarf grievances, his conviction for poetry, and the coup attempt, for example… How he emerged stronger from every crisis he stumbled through, for instance, when he was caught asking his son to zero out the money at home, or when millions stood against him in Gezi… The documentary explains his success mostly through his personal qualities. There is no mention of the American-backed green belt or the Greater Middle East project that opened the doors to moderate Islam, the collapse of centrist politics, or the leftist candidates who entered the competition and handed Istanbul to him on a silver platter. The narrative we frequently encounter in the Western world is repeating itself: the story of Erdoğan, the reformist, modernist, liberal, transforming into an autocrat, intoxicated by his own power… Yet, we, who know that he viewed democracy from the beginning as a tram to be abandoned when the time came, are well aware that his liberal facade in the first 10 years was merely a cosmetic change to overcome obstacles such as the army, judiciary, and bureaucracy. After clearing these obstacles with the support of the West and liberals in Turkey, Erdoğan removed his facade… The answer to the question, “Why did a liberal leader suddenly become authoritarian?” is this: “He was authoritarian from the beginning. From day one, his goal was to create the Erdoğan of today. The difference is: Yesterday he couldn’t do what he wanted, today he can.” However, he is now in decline. In every election he has entered in the last 10 years, his party has been eroding. Knowing that he can no longer regain strength, he is trying to stay afloat by imprisoning his rivals and dividing the main opposition. And again, in his time of need, the support of America and the Western world comes to his rescue. Will it be enough to save him? The fifth episode of the documentary, which has not yet been filmed, will be determined by our answers to this question. #Erdogan #CanDundar 🟣 PATREON   / candundaradasi   🟡 TWITTER www.twitter.com/candundaradasi 🔵 INSTAGRAM www.instagram.com/candundaradasi 🔴 JOIN www.youtube.com/candundaradasi/join You can use the join link below to support our independent journalism:    / @candündar-k8c