Erdogan most popular leader in the Middle Eastern mind?

[Petar + 76]

I was in Turkey a few years ago. It is a nice country, with rich history, kind people ... Istanbul is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It was a period before Erdgon's era .... But, I think that one man can not change everything, and Turkey still has a chance

[Kate Turlington + 44]

you won't really notice this if you visit Istanbul. Half the population is secular and not fond of their leader, which is precisely why Erdogan is such a loose cannon. He's not the leader of a population of sheep who will follow him easily. 

[Kate Turlington + 44]

Not that Gulenists would have been any better. They just lost (so far), but they're still very powerful. 

[Selva + 252]

He might be the most popular political leader, but still there's unease in that. This democratically-elected leader is killing democracy in Turkey. 

 

[Petar + 76]

Erdoganomania is widespread in the Sunni Muslim world. Only in Lebanon he is the most popular Middle Eastern leader among Sunnis (73%) and Christians (49%). 
 

[Marina Schwarz + 1,576]

On 12/14/2017 at 5:13 AM, Seleskya said:

Friends in Bosnia tell me there it's pretty much the beginnings of the second Ottoman Empire, but this time with "soft power" (schools, medical services, lots of business that no one can refuse).

True. Add to this a rewriting of history, saying the Ottoman Empire was a purely beneficent presence in the Balkans. Children in Bulgaria already study this kind of history. They have trouble grasping what made all the uprisings from the 18th and 19th centuries necessary if everything was so wonderful under the Ottomans.

[Kate Turlington + 44]

Erdogan won't ever have as much power as he wants if he can't turn Turkey into a major energy hub. He's got Ottoman Empire dreams, without an empire. And no oil and gas to speak of. Textiles aren't going to get him where he wants to be. 

[Kate Turlington + 44]

I'm actually thinking that Turkey could very well get cut out entirely now from Kirkuk oil. When you think about it, first there is the deal with the Iranians to truck Kirkuk oil to Iran, and the promise to rebuilt the pipeline running from Kirkuk into Turkey. But ... there's another possible route here, too, and since Iran is largely calling the shots, it's pretty feasible: through Syria as soon as the dust settles, and that would mean no oil from northern Iraq to Turkey, further weakening Erdogan's power.