The Rise and Fall of Turkish Soft Power

Source:MDC Date:17Dec2018

A succint analysis of how Turkey went from the darling of West to bad  boy:

Nonetheless, Turkey’s period of experimentation with soft power was rather short lived, as was its appeal to Western audiences. Turkey’s international allies have been vocal about the gradual eradication of checks and balances throughout the terms of consecutive AKP governments, and particularly so after the polarizing 2011 elections. Starting with the Arab Spring in 2011, and then followed by the Gezi Park protests, Turkey took a major hit to its reputation as a Middle Eastern democracy. By 2013, Turkey had lost its neutral position in the Middle East and, following the infamous Mavi Marmara incident, had deeply strained its relations with Israel.