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Erdogan Regime, comparison to Irish 20th century history

Reader comment on item: Another Turkish Ambassador Confronts Me

Submitted by Irish Reader (Ireland), Jul 18, 2017 at 15:00

Is there an article where you elaborate on the idea that Erdogan's regime is doomed because of its inability to satisfy Islam, a modern nation-state, and Erdogan's ego? I understand that the Soviet Union was afflicted by similar problems.

IMHO, the best country to compare Turkey with is Ireland, even though it's Catholic. The Irish Security forces let Fianna Fáil assume power after winning an election in 1932 in spite of seriously considering a coup, even though FF had fought and lost a nasty civil war a decade earlier, and was openly consorting with the IRA.

The concerns of the more pro-British faction were articulated in these posters:

https://irishelectionliterature.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/cngffvictory1932.jpg
https://irishelectionliterature.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/cng1932a.png
https://irishelectionliterature.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/cngmurder32a.jpg
https://irishelectionliterature.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/cngdevempty.jpg

In spite of serious problems caused by FF's cronyism (Google "Ireland symphisiotomy"), and a constitutional amendment intended to introduce a permanent FF oligarchy that was defeated by a narrow margin ("Third Amendment Irish Constitution"); the country ultimately turned out better in the very long run than Turkey did. Ultimately, the coups stunted the country's political development, and weeded out all but the more ruthless politicians, like Erdogan.

Further evidence of my theory is how Northern Ireland gradually became more backwards and poor than the South as a result of ossified Unionist governments backed up FPTP and gerrymandering. Orginallly, NI was the more liberal and wealthy part of the island. Of course, the unlimited support from London meant that there was no need to deal with problems like the entire Catholic population being oppressed, or the vicious persecution of liberal Protestants like Naomi Long.

(Apologies for the double-submission, I'm on mobile)

Submitting....

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Daniel Pipes replies:

Interesting comparison with Ireland.

I have not written on the topic of my Sofia talk, how Erdoğan's three competing priorities of Islam, Turkey, and Erdoğan are incompatible. Indeed, I came up with that thesis just minutes before I presented it. I hope to write on it eventually.

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Reader comments (10) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
Remarkably Rude [81 words]PlamenJul 26, 2017 14:27240246
1Crazy Men With Nukes [116 words]Michael SAug 11, 2017 04:27240246
Iran [73 words]PlamenAug 14, 2017 00:30240246
1Turkey, the Revived Ottoman Empire, the Strategic Importance of the Bosporus, and Ezekiel [387 words]Michael SAug 16, 2017 07:04240246
Islam and Conquest [197 words]PlamenAug 21, 2017 02:36240246
2Another Turkish Ambassador Confronts me. Amazing how Truth can be so troublesome. [96 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Anne- USAJul 19, 2017 07:47240099
1Restating the Obvious [24 words]MIchael SJul 21, 2017 03:51240099
1You shouldn't take it personally [62 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
DongJul 18, 2017 21:12240097
1Heads [21 words]AJul 24, 2017 22:29240097
1Erdogan Regime, comparison to Irish 20th century history [262 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
Irish ReaderJul 18, 2017 15:00240093

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