Since 9 July 2018, Erdoğan has served as the first president under the new executive system of government. The president is directly elected by eligible Turkish voters for a five-year term, re-electible once.
You could say, he pulled a Putin, and most admired by Orman and Trump, the wannabee dictators.
Erdogan's ideological friend is, of course, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Órban
By Kemal Kirisci and Ilke Toygur
In July 2018, (click here) having triumphed in the presidential elections the previous month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan began to formally transform Turkey’s long-standing parliamentary system into a heavily centralized presidential one. The new system entrenched his one-man authoritarian rule at home and is having profound implications for the making and substance of Turkish foreign policy as well as Turkey’s relations with the West. This transition has taken place amid an international environment that is undergoing a significant transformation. Today, the West is far from a shining “city on the hill,” attracting Turkey and other countries toward the liberal values it is meant to represent. Populism and nationalism are on the rise on both sides of the Atlantic. President Donald Trump’s “America First” policies are eroding the world order characterized by multilateralism, free trade, and advocacy of liberal values. The European Union is weakened internally by the challenge of Brexit and by diminishing public support for a liberal Europe comfortable with diversity. Complicating this picture are emerging powers such as China, Iran, and Russia that are playing a much more assertive role on the global stage.
This paper argues that the confluence of a “new” Turkey and an evolving international order is likely to continue to strain Turkey’s relations with its Western allies. Although many of the challenges that crowd the Turkish-Western agenda predate Ankara’s formal introduction of its presidential system, these issues are likely to become more visible and harder to overcome. Yet, it is possible that the amount of authority and power the Turkish president has amassed for himself may also create new opportunities for transactional relationships....
July 23, 2022
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (click here) has called on the United States and Russia to hold peace talks to end the war in Ukraine, adding that Kyiv cannot win against Moscow’s larger force.
During a July 23 speech delivered in neighboring Romania, Orban also criticized the European Union’s strategy of imposing sanctions on Russia for invading Ukraine, saying it is hurting the bloc.
"Only Russian-U.S. talks can put an end to the conflict because Russia wants security guarantees" only Washington can give, Orban said.
The United States and its Western allies were engaged in intense, monthslong negotiations with Russia over the Kremlin’s security concerns when President Vladimir Putin decided to invade Ukraine on February 24 on the false premise of protecting Russian-speakers in the Donbas.
A nationalist who has repeatedly clashed with the EU over his increasing authoritarian rule at home, Orban has been a thorn in the bloc’s side since the war began, undermining the image of a West completely united against Kremlin aggression....
July 23, 2022
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (click here) has called on the United States and Russia to hold peace talks to end the war in Ukraine, adding that Kyiv cannot win against Moscow’s larger force.
During a July 23 speech delivered in neighboring Romania, Orban also criticized the European Union’s strategy of imposing sanctions on Russia for invading Ukraine, saying it is hurting the bloc.
"Only Russian-U.S. talks can put an end to the conflict because Russia wants security guarantees" only Washington can give, Orban said.
The United States and its Western allies were engaged in intense, monthslong negotiations with Russia over the Kremlin’s security concerns when President Vladimir Putin decided to invade Ukraine on February 24 on the false premise of protecting Russian-speakers in the Donbas.
A nationalist who has repeatedly clashed with the EU over his increasing authoritarian rule at home, Orban has been a thorn in the bloc’s side since the war began, undermining the image of a West completely united against Kremlin aggression....
