*New Edition of the Leading Work on Modern Turkey* In a world of rising tensions between Russia and the United States, the Middle East and Europe, Sunnis and Shiites, Islamism and liberalism, Turkey is at the epicentre. And at the heart of Turkey is its right-wing populist president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Since 2002, Erdogan has consolidated his hold on domestic politics while using military and diplomatic means to solidify Turkey as a regional power. His crackdown has been brutal and consistent - scores of journalists arrested, academics officially banned from leaving the country, university deans fired and many of the highest-ranking military officers arrested. In some senses, the nefarious and failed 2016 coup has given Erdogan the licence to make good on his repeated promise to bring order and stability under a 'strongman'. Here, leading Turkish expert Soner Cagaptay will look at Erdogan's roots in Turkish history, what he believes in and how he has cemented his rule, as well as what this means for the world. The book will also unpick the 'threats' Erdogan has worked to combat - from the liberal Turks to the Gulen movement, from coup plotters to Kurdish nationalists - all of which have culminated in the crisis of modern Turkey.

Turkey is a key bridge between East and West - Erdogan's Turkey holds the key to the balance of power in the Middle East, Europe and the USA

List of IllustrationsAcknowledgmentsAbbreviationsIntroduction to the New EditionIntroduction: Meet Recep Tayyip Erdogan1 Growing up Poor and Pious in Secular Turkey2 Turkey after Ataturk3 The Foundations of Political Islam in Turkey4 The Generals Fashion a New Turkey5 Erdogan's Meteoric Rise as Istanbul's Mayor6 The Perfect Storm7 Erdogan in Power: The Good Years8 The Silent Revolution9 The Revolution Devours Its Children10 The Future of the Turkish Kurds: Peace or Fire?11 Foreign-Policy Gambit12 Ending Turkey's CrisisNotesBibliographyIndex