The Relation between Regional Power Policies of Turkey and the Media Strategy of President Erdoğan

Abstract

This research investigates the relation between regional power policies of Turkey and the media strategy of President Erdoğan. After the coup attempt on July 15, 2016, the Justice and Development Party started to implement regional power policies, which are focusing on security affairs. The political power fell into the hands of the President. Regional power policies are used as a legitimised as a tool for the transition to authoritarianism. The main purpose of this transition is to suppress dissident voices by controlling the media. In this article, I argue that President Erdoğan uses regional power policies as a tool to control the national media. The President is trying to create the image of a world leader for himself by using the pro-government media companies. Turkey’s of natural gas, the Libya issue and the NATO Summit in Madrid will be discussed in terms of media’s perspectives.