The arrest of Istanbul’s mayor signals a sharp departure from Turkey’s political order. His detention exposed a system that now relies on imprisoning opponents rather than competing with them.
The EU facilitated Erdogan's concentration of power: when first elected, Turkey was in the midst of negotiations to join the EU. As part of that, it had to align with the EU in a number of areas, notably in guaranteeing civilian control over the armed forces.
That suited Erdogan like a glove because until then Turkey's military, keepers of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk's legacy, were the main barrier to Islamist rule.
20 years later, Turkey is still in NATO but it is no longer a NATO ally.
The EU facilitated Erdogan's concentration of power: when first elected, Turkey was in the midst of negotiations to join the EU. As part of that, it had to align with the EU in a number of areas, notably in guaranteeing civilian control over the armed forces.
That suited Erdogan like a glove because until then Turkey's military, keepers of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk's legacy, were the main barrier to Islamist rule.
20 years later, Turkey is still in NATO but it is no longer a NATO ally.