The climate in Turkey is such that even an insolent reference to Erdogan is grounds for criminal charges; over 2,000 have been indicted under such laws. Widespread phone tapping is no longer a secret, leading to fears of expressing oneself truthfully in phone conversations. To be sure, ordinary Turks do not discuss politics in public and refrain from criticizing government officials, fearing that a secret agent may be listening to the conversation. There is only one opposition television station left operating and one such newspaper (Cumhuriyet), but almost half of the newspaper's reporters, columnists, and executives have nonetheless been jailed.
I have tremendous admiration for the Turkish peoples' creativity, resourcefulness, and determination to make Turkey a thriving democracy, but they are polarized between the secular and Islamic worlds -- conditions in which Erdogan can further capitalize on his authoritarian political agenda.
Perhaps it's time for the Turkish people to rise and demand the restoration of the country's democratic principles -- the same principles that made Erdogan the most revered leader during his first 10 years in power and that could have made him the new Ataturk of the Turkish people.
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