In the era of a strongman

Book name- FROM LIFE ITSELF: TURKEY AND ISTANBUL IN THE AGE OF ERDOGAN

Author- Suzy Hansen

Publisher- Profile, Price- Rs 599

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the 72-year-old Turkish president, is the most influential leader of the country since Mustafa Kemal Atatürk founded the republic, now called Türkiye, in 1923 following the Ottoman Empire’s dissolution in the wake of World War I. Erdogan is among the longest-serving leaders in the world. He came to power as prime minister in 2003; from 2014 onwards, he has been the country’s president.

The story of Erdogan is a fascinating tale. Before becoming prime minister, he served as mayor of Istanbul, leaving a positive impression on his colleagues in the Justice and Development Party (AKP), which he co-founded in 2001, as well as on the people because of his efficiency and leadership. Despite his strong Islamist roots, he got the support of the liberals and the West as he highlighted economic liberalisation, human rights and investment as key issues during his presidential election to challenge the military’s strong grip on the country. He became the ‘poster boy’ of American and European leaders as he struck a balance between Islamism and economic liberalisation. Besides, in a period of turmoil in the region rocked by events beginning with 9/11, the Iraq war, the Arab Spring and the ISIS’s rise, Erdogan’s Turkey was the only country that remained stable and calm.

But things changed rapidly in the subsequent years. Erdogan became a polarising, dominant leader and transited from being a reformer to an increasingly authoritarian president. He concentrated all the power in his hands as he marginalised the Opposition and destroyed the institutions in the country.

Suzy Hansen, a creative writer and competent journalist, stitches together the story of Erdogan, Turkey and Istanbul under his rule in these pages. Hansen’s book is based on a personal account of her experience during her long stay in Istanbul. She creates a beautiful narrative by talking to ordinary people and weaving in their struggles, dreams and anxieties along with the history and the unique geography of Turkey as well as other regional and global developments to explain what went into the making and the reshaping of Erdogan. She is scathing in her criticism of Erdogan’s rule, his vanity infrastructure projects, his rampant corruption, his trampling of the Opposition and dissenters. But Hansel explains the reasons behind the support he enjoys despite the rising misery among ordinary people and why they still rally behind him.

Hansel shows that authoritarianism is not unique to Erdogan: it was also present in the time of the Ottomans, Atatürk and the military. She thinks this is because “the Turkish nation never healed the wounds of the people who lost an Empire” and found itself “in an awkward place in a western international system”. Realpolitik and geography continue to keep Erdogan relevant to the world. Hansel’s book will remain valuable to help us understand Turkey and its powerful leader better and why Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and the European Union leaders continue to woo him.