BLOG: The Manichean factor and the Gülen conundrum

The question at the heart of this short essay, one that mystifies the pundits and cognoscenti, both domestic and foreign, of Turkish politics, is the following: How can the tremendous and persistent success of Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkish politics be explained, given all the negative elements that plague his performance, to wit: lack of sophistication, brutality and arrogance, and widespread corruption? How to explain, in other words, in these circumstances, the strong and unshakable support of close to half of the Turkish electorate for Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party? Admittedly, the conventional explanations of his success: economic development, the rise of an Anatolian business class, the religious factor, his charisma, the lack of unity and the low quality of the opposition, and the almost automatic patriotic support of one's political leader in the face of attacks (partly justified) from  the West, all these do explain, in large part, Erdogan's  persistent success. And yet, as I shall try to argue below, a significant element or variable is still missing.

I believe that that significant element or variable is what could be named 'The Manichean Factor', which encompasses cultural, spiritual and intellectual characteristics. So, what is it? And how does it work in Turkish society and politics?

Broadly speaking, the Manichean factor means that a person tends to see everything in black and white: in other words, one either loves or hates; and, as a result, one sees one's rival or opponent as either guilty or innocent. In politics that tendency translates as: You are either my friend or my enemy; or, if you are not with me, then you are, necessarily, against me. What I am suggesting here is that in the Turkish society, this...