Erdoğan

An examination of 'New Turkey' through the life of the country's domineering leader

President Erdogan's resiliency as Turkey's leader makes for an extraordinary political study of longevity, charisma and strategic decision-making. Uncovering the person behind the persona, M. Hakan Yavuz draws on 250 first-hand interviews to untangle the web of literary, religious and biographical influences that shaped Erdogan's personality, ideology and world view. In understanding the inner life, continuous self-reinvention and professional struggles of Erdogan, Yavuz is able to provide an invaluable insight into the complex record of policies - in both domestic and international arenas - that have marked his governing tenure.

With chapters covering the Gezi park protests, the clash between the AKP and Gülen movement, the Kurdish question and the country's projected image as a major international power, this book explores how and why Erdogan has reconstituted a 'New Turkey' - a hybrid political entity, neither East nor West, democratic nor dictatorial, Islamic nor secular.

M. Hakan Yavuz is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Utah.