The strongman syndrome

Turkey's referendum is a cautionary tale

The once widely admired secular republic of Turkey has already experienced the future under a modern Islamic Caliphate in the nine months that President Recep Tayyip Erdoðan has exercised unfettered emergency powers granted to him by Parliament following a failed coup in July last year. The slim and fiercely contested majority in the referendum for an executive presidency – Mr Erdogan’s transparent and long-held ambition – is testimony to the fact that he has used unchecked powers to do his worst. Taken together with the steady erosion of democratic institutions during Mr Erdogan’s 11-year-long stint as prime minister and 16