Gradually since 2003, Turkey's autocratic leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan has sought to make Turkey a great power -- in the tradition of past Turkish leaders from the late Ottoman sultans to Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkey. Here the leading authority Soner Cagaptay, author of The New Sultan -- the first biography of President Erdogan -- provides a masterful overview of the power politics in the Middle East and Turkey's place in it.
Erdogan has picked an unorthodox model in the context of recent Turkish history, attempting to cast his country as a stand-alone Middle Eastern power. In doing so Turkey has broken ranks with its traditional Western allies, including the United States and has embraced an imperial-style foreign policy which has aimed to restore Turkey's Ottoman-era reach into the Arabian Middle East and the Balkans.
Today, in addition to a domestic crackdown on dissent and journalistic freedoms, driven by Erdogan's style of governance, Turkey faces a hostile world. Ankara has nearly no friends left in the Middle East, and it faces a threat from resurgent historic adversaries: Russia and Iran. Furthermore, Turkey cannot rely on the unconditional support of its traditional Western allies. Can Erdogan deliver Turkey back to safety? What are the risks that lie ahead for him, and his country? How can Turkey truly become a great power, fulfilling a dream shared by many Turks, the sultans, Ataturk, and Erdogan himself?

- 392 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
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Table of contents
- Cover
- Half Title
- Dedication
- Title
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- List of abbreviations
- Prologue
- Introduction: A trip to Istanbul
- 1. Osman’s dream
- 2. Restoring Turks’ dignity – as Muslims
- 3. ‘Strategic Depth’
- 4. Building soft power
- 5. Europe’s slap
- 6. An American affair
- 7. The Syrian disaster
- 8. Menacing Russians
- 9. Competing Persians
- 10. Erdogan’s Arab fall
- 11. Uncomfortable Ottomans
- 12. Course correction
- 13. Erdogan vs Trump
- 14. Erdogan’s Empire – Part I: East Africa
- 15. Erdogan’s Empire – Part II: ‘Bayram Belt’
- 16. Turkey and the West: A never-ending love affair
- Conclusion: How can Turkey become Great?
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
- eCopyright
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Yes, you can access Erdogan's Empire by Soner Cagaptay in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Politics & International Relations & Diplomacy & Treaties. We have over 1.5 million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.