One of my recent writings explained the background of the current political uprising in Turkey*. Now, the question is Erdogan's personal political psychology.
RT Erdogan, PM of Turkey, comes from a political community that has struggled since 1920's against the pro-Western secular Kemalist republic. He was a young militant of the National Order Party's youth section, Ak Genclik, at the end of 1970s. His ideological and cultural world view had been excluded from the official modernism of Kemalist regime.
This is his first ideological-cultural sense of suffering.
Erdogan became the head of NOP's Istanbul Bureau and then the Mayor of the Greater Istanbul Municipality in 1994 from new Welfare Party of Erbakan's line. However, his career would be interrupted by his short prison days and later, by a short absence from legal politics as his party was closed by the Court of Constition for its anti-secular discourse. His new party, Justice and Development Party (JDP), Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi (AKP), would be headed by his close friend, Abdullah Gul and come to power in 2002 elections.
RT Erdogan, PM of Turkey, comes from a political community that has struggled since 1920's against the pro-Western secular Kemalist republic. He was a young militant of the National Order Party's youth section, Ak Genclik, at the end of 1970s. His ideological and cultural world view had been excluded from the official modernism of Kemalist regime.
This is his first ideological-cultural sense of suffering.
Erdogan became the head of NOP's Istanbul Bureau and then the Mayor of the Greater Istanbul Municipality in 1994 from new Welfare Party of Erbakan's line. However, his career would be interrupted by his short prison days and later, by a short absence from legal politics as his party was closed by the Court of Constition for its anti-secular discourse. His new party, Justice and Development Party (JDP), Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi (AKP), would be headed by his close friend, Abdullah Gul and come to power in 2002 elections.
He was not only imprisoned but also lost his own party's presidency, then, the prime ministry. In addition, in 2007, he would also lose another big position, the presidency of republic to the same person, again Abdullah Gul.
Therefore, we observe four significant psychological senses of suffering in Erdogan's psychology as regards his relation to Abdullah Gul.
I want to point to another relation of his to Abdullah Gul. While Erdogan grew in the Naksi religious circles, Gul was within Fethulah Gulen's Nurcu grouping.
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Erdogan currently wants to amend or totally renew the constitution and introduce presidential system to the Turkish Republic. It is sure, afterwards, he wants to be elected as the first president of Turkey.
However, not only "national" opposition but also Fethullah Gulen and Nurcu circles do not support such a radical change in the political system of Turkey, putting aside for them not to see Erdogan as the first president.
The opposition parties, from left to right, have already declared that they will likely support Gul for the second period instead of and against Erdogan's possible election for such a position even if presidential system is not adopted.
Now Erdogan's approach towards ever-rising protests related with Taksim-Gezi Park of Istanbul can be understood from such a background.
Fethullah Gulen and Abdullah Gul are the smiling faces of JDP (AKP) and criticize Erdogan for using brute force against the protesters and for not communicating them. By this, they imply that JDP can survive with or without Erdogan and Gul must be re-elected instead of Erdogan.
For this reason, there is an attrition war not only between the protesters and Erdogan, but also between him and Abdullah Gul-Fethullah Gulen for the future of JDP and the presidency of the republic.
Protesters all over the country, who demands the resignation of Erdogan, not surprisingly, just remind to him his previous struggles and sufferings. However, Erdogan argues that his power is threatened by the interest lobby (financial capitalists), whom, he claims, has lost superiority within ten years in his government and now mobilizing the current protests.
"Interest lobby" has been IMF, American and European private banks and their extensions in Turkey.
And, all Turkish-American relations are under the responsibility of Fethullah Gulen's circles within the JDP.
Just to add, some days ago, Erdogan said, all debts to IMF were paid and Turkey came to a position where it could give credit to IMF.
All anti-interest discourse aims to attract more conservative Islamic sections within capitalists, party members and people.
It was simply a discourse as first; all rent-based construction projects that have been planned and implemented by the JDP government since 2002 has been closely related with interest-based capital, i.e. financial capital, second; rent is another name of interest, third; Istanbul's stock-exchange operations, portfolio capital and all "hot money" that circulated in Turkey is nothing but interest-bearing, financial capital.
***
It is rather clear, the US-Fethullah Gulen coalition wants to dissolve its coalition with Erdogan who has relatively more local-nationalist-religious orientation and to introduce more globally religious, IMF friendly, mild Islam.
***
Erdogan's style of communication, which is rather rigid, shows not only his uncompromising political psychology but also his obsession of power and authority, fear of lost and many personal injustices many of which he lived due to Abdullah Gul.
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* POLITICAL UPPRISING IN TURKEY
http://ercangundogangazetta.blogspot.com/2013/06/political-uprising-in-turkey.html
Protesters all over the country, who demands the resignation of Erdogan, not surprisingly, just remind to him his previous struggles and sufferings. However, Erdogan argues that his power is threatened by the interest lobby (financial capitalists), whom, he claims, has lost superiority within ten years in his government and now mobilizing the current protests.
"Interest lobby" has been IMF, American and European private banks and their extensions in Turkey.
And, all Turkish-American relations are under the responsibility of Fethullah Gulen's circles within the JDP.
Just to add, some days ago, Erdogan said, all debts to IMF were paid and Turkey came to a position where it could give credit to IMF.
All anti-interest discourse aims to attract more conservative Islamic sections within capitalists, party members and people.
It was simply a discourse as first; all rent-based construction projects that have been planned and implemented by the JDP government since 2002 has been closely related with interest-based capital, i.e. financial capital, second; rent is another name of interest, third; Istanbul's stock-exchange operations, portfolio capital and all "hot money" that circulated in Turkey is nothing but interest-bearing, financial capital.
***
It is rather clear, the US-Fethullah Gulen coalition wants to dissolve its coalition with Erdogan who has relatively more local-nationalist-religious orientation and to introduce more globally religious, IMF friendly, mild Islam.
***
Erdogan's style of communication, which is rather rigid, shows not only his uncompromising political psychology but also his obsession of power and authority, fear of lost and many personal injustices many of which he lived due to Abdullah Gul.
-------------
* POLITICAL UPPRISING IN TURKEY
http://ercangundogangazetta.blogspot.com/2013/06/political-uprising-in-turkey.html
