The Economist: In Turkey, Erdogan’s charges of Western hypocrisy stick

Source:The Economist Date:27Dec2023

The article has not covered the recent developments on the Swedish NATO  membership  front, but otherwise it makes excellent observations:  The Gaza War helps Erdogan to solidify his authoritarian  rule at home, further sapping the moral strenght  of secularists and pro-Western  urban elite:

But the conflict also matters to the dwindling number of Turks who see their country as part of the Western order. The West’s stock in Turkey is waning, because its policies are increasingly at odds with Turkey’s, but also because many Turks feel that Western norms and values disintegrate on impact with places like Gaza. In a poll published only days before the October 7th massacre, a mere 12% of Turks identified America as a friendly country, compared with 77% who saw it as an enemy. Support for America and most European countries is certain to be even lower today.