Difficult to make more cynical. At the very moment when Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave the order to his henchmen to arrest the mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, for “corruption”, the American president called his Turkish counterpart to tell him that he was ready to sell him latest generation F-35 hunters, according to Fox News. And not a word, obviously, on this unfair decision which threw millions of citizens ulcerated in the streets and could be the last nail in the coffin of Turkish democracy. Better still, Donald Trump could invite his Turkish counterpart to Washington next month …
For Erdogan, Trump’s return to power is a blessing. His incessant blows against institutions, his war against counter-powers (justice, media) undoubtedly convinced the Raïs that the moment to strike had come. Donald, the man who refused to condemn Russia during the UN vote on February 24, will not give him a lesson in democracy.
The X accounts of Turkish opponents deleted
Better still, he is ready to help him. On February 22, Elon Musk, the man who claims to “protect freedom of expression”, deleted the X accounts from many Turkish opponents.
What about Europe? Its reaction remains halftone. The twenty-seven hope that Ankara contributes To maintain peace in Ukraine, when weapons are silent, and get involved in future European security.
There is something to be worried about Ekrem Imamoglu, the man who could beat Erdogan in the next presidential election. Autocrats are never as dangerous as when they are afraid.