The Turkish Dilemma

摘要

The world is finally catching on to what the skeptics in Turkey were saying all along.For the better part of 16 years, Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a self-styled economic reformer and the world's great hope for Muslim democracy, had a compelling story-and for most of that time, everyone bought it. Everyone, that is, except Turkey's old guard-the secular establishment, the billionaires, generals, and educated elites who stood to lose their monopoly on power, wealth, and influence.The old establishment hadn't done well by the rest of the populace or the economy. When Erdogan's party swept to victory in 2002 on pledges to open markets and liberalize institutions, Turkey's economy was on life support, requiring an international rescue package that topped $20 billion. The lira had collapsed, along with a handful of banks and government efforts to contain raging inflation.