Has ‘the West’ crossed out Erdoğan’s name?

This time a year ago, Turkey was experiencing its largest ever wave of civil protests, following the government’s strong reaction to protesters who did not want a shopping mall to be built over one of the last remaining green spots at the heart of Istanbul: Gezi Park in Taksim Square.

Erdoğan’s reactions - first to the Gezi protests and then to the corruption probe in December 2013 - quickly eroded his image in the West as a conservative reformer. Ordering the police to not hesitate to crush demonstrators (which has resulted in the death of eight young people up to now) and putting pressure on the media, including restricting access to social media platforms like Twitter and YouTube, led to criticism in the U.S. and European media that Erdoğan was turning into an Islamist autocrat, (with caricatures portraying him as a sultan with a gas mask in his hand), when combined with his strong stance regarding Syria, Egypt and Israel.

It is a fact that U.S. President Barack Obama is not on as good terms with Erdoğan as he used to be. Following a six month break, the two leaders had their first telephone conversation in February 2014, and Obama’s call to President Abdullah Gül to convey his condolences over the death of 301 coal miners, rather than to Erdoğan, was noted by the prime minister.

It is a fact that Erdoğan’s meeting with his ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Parti) supporters in Europe in the German city of Cologne - as Turkey heads towards the August presidential elections where Turks living abroad will also cast their vote for the first time - has also created tension between the German and Turkish governments. Turkey’s relations with the European Union...