A protester waves the Turkish flag in front of riot police during a demonstration in support of Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu outside Istanbul City Hall. (Credit: Kemal Aslan AFP/Getty Images)
Seen from a distance, the government in Ankara does not appear shaken by the protests that erupted following the arrest of Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on March 19. Nor are the Western powers, in the face of strong-fisted autocratic rule in the country since the judicial cabal Recep Tayyip Erdogan led against the last political figure capable of outshining him.While the major cities have been witnessing the biggest protests in over a decade, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met in Washington on Tuesday with his U.S. counterpart Marco Rubio. Following their meeting, the two officials announced that they would work to strengthen ties in the field of defense.After dismissing the few “concerns” about the arrest of more than 1,500 demonstrators since the start of the protests, Rubio praised Turkey’s “leadership” in stabilizing Syria. ...
Seen from a distance, the government in Ankara does not appear shaken by the protests that erupted following the arrest of Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on March 19. Nor are the Western powers, in the face of strong-fisted autocratic rule in the country since the judicial cabal Recep Tayyip Erdogan led against the last political figure capable of outshining him.While the major cities have been witnessing the biggest protests in over a decade, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met in Washington on Tuesday with his U.S. counterpart Marco Rubio. Following their meeting, the two officials announced that they would work to strengthen ties in the field of defense.After dismissing the few “concerns” about the arrest of more than 1,500 demonstrators since the start of the protests, Rubio praised Turkey’s “leadership” in stabilizing...