The "election" in Turkey completes the country's descent from liberal democracy to electoral dictatorship.
This is a tragedy for Turkey. It's also a serious warning for everybody else.
(Thread.)
slate.com/news-and-polit…
This is a tragedy for Turkey. It's also a serious warning for everybody else.
(Thread.)
slate.com/news-and-polit…
It's commonly forgotten that most mainstream politicians and media outlets in the West long hailed Erdogan as the man who would bring a moderate form of Muslim democracy to Turkey. The European Commission even invited the country to apply for membership in the EU in 2004!
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Even when Erdogan started to take control of the military, turn religious stricture into secular law, and started to rig the electoral system, most observers refused to connect the dots.
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The time for that obfuscation is now, at long last, over.
The vote that took place yesterday was barely free and not at all fair: Hundreds of journalists are in jail. So is am opposition candidate. The media are under Erdogan's control. There probably was vote-rigging.
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The vote that took place yesterday was barely free and not at all fair: Hundreds of journalists are in jail. So is am opposition candidate. The media are under Erdogan's control. There probably was vote-rigging.
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Even with all of that help, Erdogan got *just* over 50%. But this narrow and fradulent victory will be enough to consolidate his power for the foreseeable future.
The power he now legally holds is massive. He has dispensed with any pretense of a separation of powers.
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The power he now legally holds is massive. He has dispensed with any pretense of a separation of powers.
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There are obviously lots of important differences between Turkey, on the one hand, and countries like Italy or the United States, on the other hand.
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But Turkey's tragedy offers three clear lessons for democracies around the world:
1) In the long-run, authoritarian populists can be very successful in delegitimizing journalists and the political opposition.
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1) In the long-run, authoritarian populists can be very successful in delegitimizing journalists and the political opposition.
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2) Even when about half of the population hates them, populists can sustain themselves in power by mobilizing a fervent base.
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3) Finally, political and intellectual elites, both inside the country and around the world, persistently underestimate the threat which these kinds of leaders pose to the survival of democratic institutions.
These are lessons that citizens in the United States--and Italy, and Sweden, and any number of other countries--would be well-advised to take to heart.
If you agree, please share my article @slate!
10/10
slate.com/news-and-polit…
If you agree, please share my article @slate!
10/10
slate.com/news-and-polit…
