Howard Eissenstat shares with Ozan Ozavci his concerns around the language of post-post-Kemalism, before a lively discussion on Turgut Özal, the 1990s, and whether this might be Recep Tayyib Erdoğan’s last year in power.
Howard is an Associate Professor of Middle East history at St. Lawrence University.
Recorded on 21 November 2022, in this podcast episode Howard Eissenstat and Ozan Ozavci talk post-post-Kemalism and the last three decades of Turkish politics: the 1980s, when Turgut Özal emerged as a colourful if corrupt political leader; the 1990s, when Howard experienced at first hand the boom in Turkish civil society (and political Islam); and the 2000s, when Recep Tayyip Erdoğan came into office, What might Turkey look like today if the Annan Plan had been implemented, if Turkey’s drive to join the EU had not been frustrated? Was Turkey’s authoritarian turn inevitable?
According to Howard, President Erdoğan harboured authoritarian instincts from the beginning, even if he didn’t always pursue authoritarian goals during his time in office, The podcast concludes by considering whether this might be Erdoğan’s last year in power. Howard shares with us his critical observations on the opposition’s election strategy.
Episode 23 – Contesting Post-Post-Kemalism
Podcasts are published by TLP for the purpose of encouraging informed debate on the legacies of the events surrounding the Lausanne Conference. The views expressed by participants do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of TLP, its partners, convenors or members.
MAIN IMAGE: ‘TURGUT ÖZAL AT A GAME CENTRE’, COURTESY OF HOWARD EISSENSTAT.
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