Introduction

Excerpt

No history of Turkey will ever be complete without an analysis of the AKP’s years in power. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s charismatic and politically resourceful leadership has already made him one of the country’s longest-serving and most influential leaders. His streak of successes at the ballot box is unprecedented in Turkish political history. While in the Turkish multi-party electoral system any governing party is expected to lose popular support, the AKP has actually managed to consolidate a crushing 40–50% loyal social base. For better or worse, Erdoğan’s and his party’s leadership have fundamentally transformed the country’s politics and society (Hermann 2014). The collection of articles in this issue contributes to our understanding of the various dimensions of this transformation in Turkish society, politics, and the AKP itself. …