Erdogan tightens his grip on Turkey

On May 21st a Turkish court took the unprecedented step of removing the CHP’s elected leadership, led by Ozgur Ozel, the latest sign of Turkish President Erdogan’s tightening grip on the country. It’s also a sign that Erdogan intends to run for another term as president, and with Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu in prison, this move can only mean one thing: Erdogan does not intend to leave the result of a future election up to chance. The opposition has vowed it will fight back, but the broader question is whether this is the last nail in the coffin for Turkey’s democracy. Can it recover, and if so, is this a fight it will have to undertake on its own? President Donald Trump’s praise of Erdogan as a “tough guy” who has “done a very good job”, and the EU’s wider focus on the transatlantic relationship and Ukraine, have many doubting if the West will bring any pressure down on Ankara. At the same time, another story is brewing in north Africa, where Turkey is looking to expand its influence in Libya. Recent reports are indicating a new Turkish push to engage with Benghazi, while we’ve also seen headlines hinting at US-Turkish coordination in Libya and a potential US effort to unify Libya. Greece is undoubtedly watching these developments closely, especially considering Turkey is likely to press Benghazi to support its illegal 2019 maritime agreement with Tripoli. Ayla Jean Yackley, Henri Barkey, Ambassador Marc Pierini, and Aya Burweila join Thanos Davelis as we break down the latest crackdown on Turkey’s opposition and its wider ramifications, while looking into what Turkey is up to in Libya. A little more info on our guests: Ayla Jean Yackley is an Istanbul-based journalist covering Turkey with stories in The Financial Times, Politico, and other major outlets. Henri Barkey is an adjunct senior fellow for Middle East studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and the Cohen chair in international relations at Lehigh University (Emeritus). Marc Pierini is a senior fellow at Carnegie Europe and former EU ambassador to Turkey. Aya Burweila is a widely published expert and public commentator on security with a special focus on Libya. You can support The Greek Current by joining HALC as a member here.