Abstract
Abstract Recep Tayyip Erdogan was prime minister of Turkey from 2003 to 2014. Since then, he has been president. During his two decades as leader of Turkey he evolved, in the predictable four phases, from democratic leader to autocratic one. From the vantage point of a liberal democrat, he transitioned from bad to worse. The chapter traces how this happened—how Erdogan was able to capitalize on the deficits of recent Turkish history, on the cleavages in his country, and on the unflagging loyalty of a large segment of the Turkish people to accumulate power not only to his party and to his government but to himself. All his political life, Erdogan lusted for power, Moreover, like all leaders who lust, even after he secured power he did what he could to obtain even more—whatever the implications for his followers.
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