by David Parmer / Tokyo

Turkey’s long-serving President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is both an enigma and an open book. The 62-year old Erdogan has been in politics since the mid-1990s when he became Mayor of Istanbul.

Erdogan remained mayor from 1994-1998 during which time he tackled several thorny issues plaguing the city including traffic and water shortages. He enacted what might be called eco-friendly solutions to long-standing problems and got things done.

In 1998 he was convicted of inciting violence and racial hatred and served four months of a 10-month sentence. In 2001 he formed the AKP party and was elected Prime Minister, a job he held for 11 years, until he was elected president in 2014.

During this time Mr. Erdogan increased the budget for education, pushed for education for women and girls, established universities and promoted the use of IT in schools. In addition, several important infrastructure projects including railways and airports were instituted.

So it seems that Mr. Erdogan would be considered one of the more enlightened leaders in his region. And based on the above maybe he was. But recent events have created a very different image of the president. Turkey is a secular Islamic country, but the president is considered much more of an Islamic conservative. Of late Mr. Erdogan has come down hard on social media and the western press. He blames the press for unfair reporting in things Turkish and things related to him. Within the country it is a crime to criticize the president.

Mr. Erdogan certainly has a lot on his plate both domestically and internationally. For years there has been an ongoing Kurdish insurgency, and a Turkish resolve to prevent the establishment of an independent Kurdistan. The PKK Kurdish party has been labeled a terrorist organization. The Turks are fighting the Kurds, and at the same time targeting Daesh inside Iraq. Mr. Edgogan also has rocky relations with Israel over the Palestinian question and solid relations with Egypt. Relations with Russia were also tense after a Turkish Air Force F-16 shot down a Russian Su-24 on the Turkish-Iraqi border on 24 November 2015. And as far as relations with the US go, Turkey (Ergogan) faults the US for harboring the president’s rival, Fethullah Gulen whom he believes is responsible for the 2016 coup attempt.

So which Recep Tayyip Erdogan do we believe: the Erdogan who builds airports and bridges and supports education including the education of girls and women and who has eco-friendly initiatives to his credit, or the would-be Sultan who lives in an enormous palace, represses the free press and uses his military to advance his agenda for Turkey. Which Erdogan is the real Erdogan? Or are they both one and the same man; an enigma and an open book?

Photo: Recep Tayyip Erdogan via flickr