Erdogan is under fire for policies, while Lebanese leaders simply fan fires
This weekend provided us with what might seem like a tale of two politicians, but it”s really a tale of two political systems. On Sunday, thousands of protestors made noise in Istanbul by demanding the resignation of Turkish Premier Tayyip Erdogan.
Erdogan is a popular leader and influential politician who has embodied the ethos of modern Turkey, an obviously Muslim people with an explicitly secular political regime. A self-made man from a rough part of Istanbul, Erdogan”s savvy leadership has secured a leading diplomatic profile for Turkey and jump-started the economy, which has seen healthy growth levels year after year.
Erdogan is not perfect, naturally, and in recent years his domestic performance, as opposed to his diplomatic achievements, have angered many in Turkey. One might say that Erdogan "went too far" on various domestic items, and was punished for it in Turkey”s most recent local elections, with the support of only 40 percent of voters. Sunday”s demonstration was about secularism, but also the government”s recent performance on the economy. The point is that Turks, when they either support or defend Erdogan, are grappling with real issues: a certain policy on the judiciary, a certain policy on the economy, a certain foreign policy.
The other politician inviting scrutiny this weekend was Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, who gave us an example of bravado, but not much else, during his televised speech on Friday. The Hizbullah leader called May 7, 2008 a "glorious day," which was certainly unwarranted and uncalled for. Nasrallah will be in the spotlight for a while; then, perhaps he”ll change his tune and we”ll forget these remarks, while Walid Jumblatt, or someone else, will say something outrageous and set off another furor. This merry-go-round of insults is what marks our moribund political class and political regime. Verbal pyrotechnics might take place elsewhere, but there are usually policies, and institutions being debated as well.
Here, we have politics without impact, compared to politics of real issues. Turkey certainly suffers from corruption and nepotism, but can also boast real issues and achievements. Here, we fight over concepts, and the rhetoric itself. Nasrallah and his colleagues in the political class will be around for our parliamentary elections on June 7 and afterward as well, doling out shares of influence, which undermines any coherent government performance.
They”ll be on one side, and the people who elected them will be left by the wayside. They say that our system is a case of "no victor" and "no vanquished." The latter term certainly applies to the Lebanese electorate, but few would call the Turkish electorate a group of victims.