War of Succession in Turkey, Vol. 2: Sex, Drugs, and the Politics of Power
The arrest of a pro-gov media figure offers a window into elite factionalism, intelligence rivalries, and a looming war of succession in Turkey.
**Here is War of Succession, Vol. 1, published at the end of October, titled “All Eyes on These Two Turkish Men: Hakan Fidan vs. İbrahim Kalın.”
We would not be surprised by incidents that expose the hypocrisy of a famous journalist, or by rumours revealing that a well-known figure is immersed in worlds of drugs and debauchery. That is fine most of the time. One’s private life is none of our concern. Yani, who cares, to be honest.
On the other hand, we have become increasingly accustomed, thankfully as women gather the courage to speak out, to hearing allegations of sexual harassment and workplace bullying against powerful presenters, editors, and reporters. They turn our stomachs, and we note them down as examples of power corruption in newsrooms and of toxic masculinity.
An arrest that took place in Turkey last week fits both of these patterns, yet it also carries …
