President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, fighting for his political life after 20 years as Turkey’s leader ahead of a May election, appears to be leaning on the same political playbook he has for years – that he is the strongman his country needs.
Facing a reinvigorated opposition amid a moment of rare economic calamity – and the aftermath of a once-in-a-lifetime natural disaster – Turkey’s leader is using the same nationalist language that has previously served him so well.
