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Sultan Who Raged at the West Becomes a Hero in Erdogan’s Turkey

  • President celebrates an Ottoman predecessor as election looms
  • But Mideastern neighbors worry he may be eyeing his own empire
Updated on

“Behind everything that’s harmful to this nation,” the Turkish leader said, “lies an order from the West.”

That’s Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II, in an episode of the historical TV drama watched by millions of Turks every Friday. And if they come away drawing parallels with contemporary politics, the country’s current ruler probably wouldn’t object.