How Turkey Dumbed Itself Down

Source:Foreign Policy Date:25Aug2018

This article by the former governor of Central Bank explains of ignorance and  blind loyalty have been elevated to status symbols in today’s Turkish society.  These fashions, more than Erdogan explain the economic, cultural and intellectual demise of the nation.

Once Turkey exited IMF supervision and his own powers started reaching new heights in the late 2000s, Erdogan started worrying less about playing by the book. As Turkey kept growing, so did Erdogan’s political fortunes. As growth fetishism replaced good governance, technocrats made way for loyalists. The economic portfolio, which was once divided among three ministries, is now in the hands of one person, former Energy Minister Berat Albayrak, whose primary qualification for the job seems to be his marriage to Erdogan’s daughter. The advice Erdogan receives comes not from bankers and technocrats but rather from shock-jock media personalities, such as Yigit Bulut and Cemil Ertem, who have little to offer other than their unwavering fealty.