Revisiting Erdoğan’s century of Turkey: unmasking populism’s political strategies through the Lens of the Canal Istanbul

Pehlivanlı E.

BRITISH JOURNAL OF MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES, cilt.11, sa.13, ss.1-18, 2024 (AHCI)

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 11 Sayı: 13
  • Basım Tarihi: 2024
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1080/13530194.2024.2427092
  • Dergi Adı: BRITISH JOURNAL OF MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Arts and Humanities Citation Index (AHCI), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, IBZ Online, International Bibliography of Social Sciences, Periodicals Index Online, Geobase, Historical Abstracts, Index Islamicus, Linguistic Bibliography, Linguistics & Language Behavior Abstracts, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, Political Science Complete, Sociological abstracts, Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1-18
  • Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

This study delves into the nuanced dynamics of populism in Turkish politics, focusing on the Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi, AKP) under the leadership of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Over the past two decades, we contend that the AKP’s policy proposals and projects have transcended mere political promises, instead evolving into meticulously planned physical embodiments of the party’s political dominance. Through an in-depth analysis of one of the AKP’s recent mega undertakings, the Canal Istanbul project, we unveil a strategic shift in the party’s populist tactics aimed at fortifying its political hegemony. Moreover, this paper sheds light on a covert process of polarization within the AKP’s apparent transition from a divisive approach to one centred on persuasion, particularly targeting the opponent political party, the CHP Republican People’s Party, Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi. We posit that the AKP strategically positions itself as a victim of its adversaries, strategically laying the foundation for its persuasive agenda. This research offers critical insights into the multifaceted strategies employed by the AKP and CHP in navigating the complex terrain of populist politics in Turkey and furthers the empirical studies in the populism debate in general.