Rather than study what Erdogan says in public statements, would it not be more instructive to look at what he has actually done. He has been in power for 13 years now so we have plenty of material to go on. He has closed a number of newspapers critical of the AKP and installed AKP supporters in place of the original owners and editors. He has fired thousands of senior police and military officers and replaced them with AKP supporters. Similarly he has replaced secularist judges with AKP supporters. He has pursued an erratic policy towards the Kurdish population, particularly in the South East blowing hot and cold over social improvement programmes versus military threat. It is claimed that he, his family and his friends have corruptly acquired vast wealth. Is this a factual statement? It certain seems highly likely.
On the other hand, under his leadership Turkey's economic performance has (until recently) been strong and (again until recently) monetary stability has been impressive in comparison with previous decades. Investment in education increased from 7.5bn lira in 2002 (pre-AKP Govt.) to 34bn lira in 2011, compulsory education has increased from 8 years to 12, the number of universities has doubled, and education of girls and women has been promoted. And much else.
In short, as with any politician, you can cherry pick the bad bits or the good bits to suit your own tastes, values or beliefs. What clearly worries people is the increasingly authoritarian tone of his current statements and the actions taken to back them up.
