Backstory: Turkey President Erdogan’s Rise To Power

 THEY HAVE MOSTLY HAD A STRONG PARTNERSHIP OVER THE YEARS.

PARTNERSHIP OVER THE YEARS. >> PRESIDENT ERDOGAN IS THE  

>> PRESIDENT ERDOGAN IS THE PRESIDENT KNOWN FOR TOEING THE PRESIDENT KNOWN FOR TOEING THE LINE BETWEEN DEMOCRATIC AND LINE BETWEEN DEMOCRATIC AND DICTATORIAL. DICTATORIAL. UNDER HIS LEADERSHIP, TURKEY HAS UNDER HIS LEADERSHIP, TURKEY HAS BECOME A REGIONAL POWERHOUSE. BECOME A REGIONAL POWERHOUSE. AND ONE OF THE MOST AND ONE OF THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL OF THE ALLIES. CONTROVERSIAL OF THE ALLIES. HOW DID WE GO FROM THIS - HOW DID WE GO FROM THIS -- >> I APPRECIATE SO VERY MUCH THE >> I APPRECIATE SO VERY MUCH THE EXAMPLE YOUR COUNTRIES HAVE SET EXAMPLE YOUR COUNTRIES HAVE SET ON HOW TO BE A MUSLIM COUNTRY ON HOW TO BE A MUSLIM COUNTRY AND SUSTAIN A COUNTRY WHICH AND SUSTAIN A COUNTRY WHICH EMBRACES DEMOCRACY. EMBRACES DEMOCRACY. >> TO THIS. >> TO THIS. >> I COULD TELL YOU AFTER WHAT’S >> I COULD TELL YOU AFTER WHAT’S HAPPENED IN SYRIA WITH ERDOGAN HAPPENED IN SYRIA WITH ERDOGAN AND THE TURKS GOING AFTER OUR AND THE TURKS GOING AFTER OUR ALLIES AND FRIENDS, THE KURDS, I ALLIES AND FRIENDS, THE KURDS, I DON’T THINK THIS IS THE RIGHT DON’T THINK THIS IS THE RIGHT MOMENT IN HISTORY FOR HIM TO BE MOMENT IN HISTORY FOR HIM TO BE CELEBRATING A VISIT TO THE WHITE CELEBRATING A VISIT TO THE WHITE HOUSE. HOUSE. >> PRESIDENT ERDOGAN ROSE TO >> PRESIDENT ERDOGAN ROSE TO PROMINENCE AS THE MAYOR OF PROMINENCE AS THE MAYOR OF ISTANBUL. ISTANBUL. WHILE IN OFFICE, HIS PARTY WAS WHILE IN OFFICE, HIS PARTY WAS DECLARED UNCONSTITUTIONAL. DECLARED UNCONSTITUTIONAL. HE WAS IMPRISONED FOR INCITING HE WAS IMPRISONED FOR INCITING VIOLENCE FOR THE READING OF AN VIOLENCE FOR THE READING OF AN ISLAMIC POEM. ISLAMIC POEM. LOCKING UP DISSIDENTS FOR SPEECH  LOCKING UP DISSIDENTS FOR SPEECH IS A THEME THAT WOULD RETURN IN IS A THEME THAT WOULD RETURN IN HIS LIFE. HIS LIFE. LATER, HE WOULD BE ON THE OTHER LATER, HE WOULD BE ON THE OTHER SIDE. SIDE. BACK THEN, IT CAUGHT THE EYE OF BACK THEN, IT CAUGHT THE EYE OF MUSLIMS WHO FELT SUPPRESSED BY MUSLIMS WHO FELT SUPPRESSED BY YEARS OF MILITARY RULE IN THE YEARS OF MILITARY RULE IN THE COUNTRY.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

                                                                                                         

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         COUNTRY. AFTER HIS RELEASE, HE FORMED A  

AFTER HIS RELEASE, HE FORMED A CONSERVATIVE POLITICAL PARTY. CONSERVATIVE POLITICAL PARTY. IN 2002, BECAME THE PRIME IN 2002, BECAME THE PRIME MINISTER OF TURKEY IN A MINISTER OF TURKEY IN A LANDSLIDE ELECTION. LANDSLIDE ELECTION. HE TOOK TURKEY OUT OF POVERTY .HE TOOK TURKEY OUT OF POVERTY. THERE WAS TALK OF JOINING THE THERE WAS TALK OF JOINING THE EUROPEAN UNION. EUROPEAN UNION. ERDOGAN FILLED THAT OFFICE FOR ERDOGAN FILLED THAT OFFICE FOR MORE THAN A DECADE. MORE THAN A DECADE. FOR THOSE TEN YEARS, HE BEGAN TO FOR THOSE TEN YEARS, HE BEGAN TO ENACT MORE CONSERVATIVE AND ENACT MORE CONSERVATIVE AND AUTHORITARIAN POLICIES. AUTHORITARIAN POLICIES. HE CRACKED DOWN ON PROTESTERS,JO HE CRACKED DOWN ON PROTESTERS,JO IN 2014, HIS PARTY’S RULES IN 2014, HIS PARTY’S RULES PREVENTED HIM FROM SEEKING PREVENTED HIM FROM SEEKING ANOTHER TERM. ANOTHER TERM. SO HE RAN FOR PRESIDENT. SO HE RAN FOR PRESIDENT. BEFORE ERDOGAN, THAT OFFICE WAS BEFORE ERDOGAN, THAT OFFICE WAS MOSTLY CEREMONIAL. MOSTLY CEREMONIAL. THEY WERE CONCERNED THAT ERDOGAN THEY WERE CONCERNED THAT ERDOGAN HAD BECOME TOO POWERFUL. HAD BECOME TOO POWERFUL. IN 2016, THE MILITARY ATTEMPTED IN 2016, THE MILITARY ATTEMPTED A COUP. A COUP. BUT IT FAILED TO REMOVE ERDOGAN BUT IT FAILED TO REMOVE ERDOGAN FROM POWER. FROM POWER. HE BLAMED THE COUP ATTEMPT ON A HE BLAMED THE COUP ATTEMPT ON A RIVAL RELIGIOUS FACTION IN RIVAL RELIGIOUS FACTION IN TURKEY WHOSE LEADER IS IN EXILE                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

TURKEY WHOSE LEADER IS IN EXILE IN THE UNITED STATES.

                                                     

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    THE UNITED STATES. 

 DIDN’T STOP ERDOGAN FROM UNDERGOING A MASSIVE PURGE IN UNDERGOING A MASSIVE PURGE IN  THE GOVERNMENT HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE DIED IN THE VIOLENCE.

                                         

THOUSANDS OF MILITARY MEMBERS WERE DETAINED. AFTER THAT, ERDOGAN MADE MOVES  ERDOGAN  TO BEEF UP HIS ROLE.