Friday, July 15, 2016

Obama on Erdogan

March this year in the extended Jeffrey Goldberg Atlantic article:

Erdogan has disappointed Obama like few others. Obama came into office thinking that the Turkish leader, a so-called moderate Islamist, would serve as a bridge between the United States and Muslims. But the king of Jordan, Abdullah II, among others, warned Obama that Erdogan was a false democrat. "Erdogan once said that democracy for him is a bus ride," Abdullah told Obama. "'Once I get to my stop, I'm getting off.'" It took a long time for Obama to realize that Erdogan's critics in the region were correct.

1 comment:

William Burns said...

Of course, unlike Abdullah, Erdogan at least got on the bus.