ALPER YAGCI
Turkey was no democratic paradise before Erdogan’s JDP came to power. But the balance of power was such that no single actor (be it a party, civil association, or the military itself) was powerful enough to impose its will on the society, even if they wanted to. Now that the JDP is so powerful and without serious rivals, the country cannot afford anything other than becoming truly democratic so as to safeguard liberties against a tyranny of the majority, and that has not been happening. The result is greater polarization, which erupted in this week’s protests.
This is an abridged version of a longer essay I posted here in June 2013. I wanted to cut it down to a more manageable size so that it would actually be read.
