The end of ‘moderate Islam’

Events of recent days that have followed one another in Strasbourg, Brussels, Bonn, Ankara, Washington, Aleppo, Damascus and Baghdad presage the end of an era.
The era that is drawing to an end is that of the ‘moderate Islam’ model that had its inception in the establishment of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in 2001 and its coming to power in 2002 and was symbolised in the person of Tayyip Erdoğan, who was cited as an example for everyone.
Let us briefly recap what is meant by the model that is written ‘moderate Islam’ and pronounced ‘compliant Islam’:
The model represents the endeavour to reconcile the Islam of the AKP and its leader Tayyip Erdoğan, who use Islam by way of reference, with a) the institutions and rules of capitalism, b) the EU’s and the West as a whole’s interests and concepts, and c) the USA’s grand plans and policies, primarily an expanded Middle-East, and to make it ‘compliant’.
For the model to work, there had to be good political coordination with the above-mentioned external centres and it was necessary to operate unimpaired multi-party governance which, even if it did not go as far as the advanced, pluralistic model, to a degree respected major fundamental rights and freedoms, and maintain an economy that would not make the masses howl.
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The model that had been designed and brought to life under the USA’s leadership initially functioned successfully, despite road crashes like the 1 March memorandum fiasco, and assumed the form of a universal project that was recommended to other Islamic countries. Its symbol and leader, Tayyip Erdoğan, was pointed to as a charismatic, exemplary statesman possessing great esteem. There were auguries, however deceptive, of Europe and Ankara moving closer.
With the successes, even if fleeting, chalked up by an economic model with a high-interest, low-exchange-rate policy and the construction sector at its vanguard and in which privatisation was pursued for all it was worth, also greatly aided by the international economic situation, things appeared to be moving on course internally, too. But, over time, Mr Erdoğan, who had been cited as a model leader, appeared to change track and even those who had not yet woken up to the real nature of his policies began to ask themselves:
“What if he has a secret agenda?”
Fifteen years following the founding of the AKP under Tayyip Erdoğan’s leadership, the moderate, that is compliant, Islam model has well and truly gone bust.
Fifteen years following the founding of the AKP, Erdoğan’s policies are totally out of compliance with a) the institutions and rules of capitalism, b) all of the West’s institutions, not least the EU and including NATO, and their principles, and c) especially, all of the plans and projects, principally in the Middle East, of Trump’s USA.
Mr Erdoğan, who at one time was supported and revered domestically under the slogan “Not far enough, but yes!” by confused left-wingers and those carrıed away by the impression that liberalisation was taking place, has become the implementer of the most oppressive regime in the history of the Republic, and, very dangerously, economic development is giving every sign of having run into a wall.
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Finally, the whole world is describing the regime in Turkey as a dictatorship and not even Mr Erdoğan challenges this, contenting himself with saying, “If they call somebody a dictator, in my opinion they are a reasonable person.” In the Turkey of Mr Erdoğan, who has declared war on interest, one of capitalism’s basic institutions, no need remains even for a decision by the subservient judiciary for the appointment of curators who resemble a confiscation squad or transfer to the Savings and Deposits Insurance Fund.
With the European Parliament recommending that Turkey’s accession negotiations be put on hold, Ankara is set to chair the Energy Club set up by the Shanghai Five for the 2017 period and NATO is watching this development with concern.
Comments by Mike Flynn, the Trump Administration’s new Security Adviser, concerning Islamist movements and the latest situation on the ground in Syria point to increased Ankara - Washington discord over the Middle East and in general.
As we have seen, everything points to the “moderate Islam” project having gone bust.
Have things progressed far enough to provoke a settling of scores between the actors?
What do you say?