The Chaos Candidate: Attacks Aid Erdogan’s Push for Strongman Rule
- Violence may swing nationalists behind bid for greater powers
- Emergency rule isn’t making Turks safer, opposition says
Will Ambassador Killing Bring Turkey, Russia Closer?
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A bus carrying soldiers blown up in a central Turkish city on Saturday. Two days later, Russia’s ambassador shot dead in Ankara near the parliament building bombed by warplanes during July’s botched coup.
The motives behind Turkey’s worst wave of violence in decades are varied. Yet the response of those close to Recep Tayyip Erdogan after each attack is the same: the already dominant president must be granted the executive powers that currently reside with parliament to help restore order.