While political leaders often exaggerate their achievements and brag about the superiority of their nation, such claims become absurd if they are far removed from reality and border on chauvinism and narcissism.
When leaders harbor an exaggerated sense of self-importance, they can be easily manipulated by others who exploit their insatiable appetite for flattery. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is one of several high-ranking Turkish officials who may be suffering from such a character flaw.
The Turkish media provided extensive coverage to a Los Angeles Times article reporting that “Pres. Obama has logged more phone calls to Erdogan than to any world leader except British Prime Minister David Cameron.” When the two met at the United Nations in New York, Obama gave Erdogan “more face time than any other world leader,” lasting almost two hours. The U.S. president reportedly praised the Turkish prime minister for showing “great leadership.” The L.A. Times specifically noted that Obama even “resorted to flattery” by subsequently phoning Erdogan “to rave about a Turkish basketball tournament.”
The Turkish newspaper, Today’s Zaman, published a follow-up article further highlighting the close relationship between the two leaders: “Erdogan and Obama’s phone chats reveal Turkey’s ascent.” The article included a photo in which the American and Turkish leaders are shaking hands while brimming with wide smiles.
Although Erdogan does not look kindly upon anyone who writes unflattering words about him and frequently sues journalists daring to criticize his policies, prominent Turkish commentator Semih Idiz risked imprisonment by writing an article last week in Al-Monitor titled, “Is Erdogan Aiming to Be a Latter-Day Sultan?” Idiz underlines the prime minister’s “authoritarian tendencies and lack of tolerance to any criticism, especially from a free press.”
The Turkish journalist writes in great detail about Erdogan’s plans to run for president in August 2014, but not before drafting a new constitution that would transform the current head of state’s ceremonial post into “an executive presidency” that would not be “encumbered by a system of checks and balances.” If elected president, Erdogan would have “the power to dissolve the parliament, rule by decree and appoint government ministers, senior bureaucrats, and jurists without parliamentary approval.”
It is not a mere accident that Erdogan recently told Turkish journalists that the American presidential system, with checks and balances that limit the power of the president, is not suitable for Turkey: “The U.S. president cannot appoint an ambassador, he cannot even solely decide on the sale of a helicopter. … That’s why we should create a Turkish-style presidential system.”
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who used to be a serious scholar, appears to be emulating his conceited prime minister. Last week, in his opening remarks at the annual conference of Turkish ambassadors held in Ankara, Davutoglu made a highly arrogant statement claiming that Turkey plays a critical role in world affairs: “Because the global powers know that now history flows through Ankara, parties that ignore Ankara cannot understand history. The one that risks relations with Ankara will take risks in all regional policies. … Those who want to understand history must be present in Ankara, Istanbul, and every other place in Turkey, because from now on we will be more actively present in shaping the flow of history.”
These preposterous words are uttered by a foreign minister who assumed his current post by pompously declaring that his country pursued a policy of “zero problems with neighbors.” The harsh reality is that Turkey now has almost no neighbors without problems! Indeed, Ankara has serious conflicts with neighboring Armenia, Cyprus, Greece, Iran, Iraq, and Syria.
Not to be outdone by his senior colleagues, Turkey’s controversial European Union affairs minister, Egemen Bagis, greeted the New Year with a fresh list of outlandish statements: “Today there is no government in Europe which is more reformist than our government. While EU countries are struggling in crisis, our country is experiencing the most democratic, prosperous, modern, and transparent period in its history. The ‘sick man’ of yesterday has gotten up and summoned the strength to prescribe medication for today’s Europe…and to share the EU’s burden rather than being a burden to it.”
Obama has discovered that he can get more out of Turkish leaders with honey than vinegar, capitalizing on their overwhelming desire for praise and flattery. The problem is that such lavish praise has turned Turkey into a “spoiled brat” that has become a serious menace to the entire neighborhood!
Harut Sassounian
Turkey wants to be part of the EU not for trade of products and services but rather to export its poor and destitute so other country’s can look after them and provide for them. Thats why the middle eastern country’s will not do as they will not do that to their own people let alone Turks..
Lets be clear, the whole country of Turkey was founded upon the murder and theft of others and thats a fact. That fact needs to be brought up all the time..
Amazing to see that how a medium sized insect such as a beetle, get trapped in a spider web in your garden. It’s fast running legs get paralyzed and tired, and it is dead after few hours.
You should be able to see, how this magnificent creature called spider, crawling toward it’s prey, and vomit it’s chemical into beetle’s body, then suck the newly made body fluid out of beetles dead body, quietly, and leave the dried out shell for the wind to blow it away.
It is apparent that the Turks who calim they don’t need US and US needs them is just a bunch of crap.
Erdogon knows US is a critical ally to his not so greate country.
Turks need to feel flattered to compensate for their short commings in global recognition compared to many European nations and many others. They believe they deserve to be recognized because they are important and the world needs them. Somehow the only thing that comes to most people’s mind when they hear Turkey is Ottoman empire and Armenian genocide.
The mighty Turkey, with all its F-16 and F-35 fleet is still a reject among European nations and left to decide whose cast does it belong to.
And for the sake of Syrian conflict, who else would Obama call? Armenia?Serbia? Bulgaria?
Turkey is the only NATO ally next the the Arab nation.
Of course, Obama is a denialist who gets blackmailed by Turkey every year around 24th of April. Seemingly once a US president is sworn to the office he is cursed by Turkish spell. Flattering Turkish sultans flatters those in Washington who have the Turkish connection. And opposition to that only exists in congress, house, or State governements.
In this case, the Turkish exitement is exagerated, but at the same time US is up for it. A piece of land plays a major role in providing nest for Democrasy in a land without one.
In addition,
interesting how bad things have got when a country that was created to promote freedom is supporting one which was created from taking the freedom, even to live.
“Today there is no government in Europe which is more reformist than our government. ”
That’s because Turkey is playing catchup with Europe. Europe has achieved democracy while Turkey is still trying to improve it’s institutions. Look at how far Germany arrived after WWII, and how quickly. Turkey started on it’s path after WWI and still working on it. Both countries have about the same population size.
unless revolution takes place Turkey won’t transorm into a fully democratic nation. Because, the biggest Change in Turkish government took place when Attaturk changed Turkish alphabet and went for Turkish modernization. Since then no other change really, since the whole Turkish governing laws undermind WWI events and it is established in their constitution to do so.
It would be totally non-Turkish to deviate from that norm that persisted for almost 100 years.
And revolution will need people, solders, and other institutions in large numbers to be achieved.
The catchup with Europeans is as deviant game as their denials of Turkish crimes o WWI, if they are meant to do so.