The Battle for Turkey's Future?

Is Turkey approaching the end of the Erdogan era—or entering a new phase of his rule? The arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoğlu, a leading opposition figure and potential presidential challenger, has triggered massive protests and raised global concerns over democracy in Turkey. While many see this as a power move by Erdogan to silence dissent and extend his rule beyond constitutional limits, others believe it may be part of a wider strategy to clear the way for a handpicked successor. In this video, we explore the real motivations behind Imamoğlu’s arrest, Erdogan’s shifting political tactics, and what this could mean for the future of Turkish politics.

With Erdogan’s health in question and his 2028 constitutional term limit looming, attention is turning to who might succeed him. Could it be a trusted family member like Selçuk Bayraktar, Erdogan’s influential son-in-law and head of Turkey’s drone industry? Or might it be long-time ally and current foreign minister Hakan Fidan? By tracing Erdogan’s rise from mayor to strongman and examining Turkey’s history of coups, authoritarianism, and contested elections, we uncover how leadership transitions happen in regimes like his—and what’s at stake for Turkey’s future direction, democracy, and international standing.

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*VIDEO CHAPTERS*
00:00 Introduction and Titles
00:46 Political Transition and Authoritarian Regimes
02:02 The Republic of Turkey: Location and Population
02:33 The Emergence of Turkey and Authoritarian Rule under Ataturk
03:37 Multiparty Democracy and Military Interventions in Turkey
04:50 Political Islam in Turkey: From Erbakan to Erdogan
06:34 Erdogan as Prime Minister and President
09:10 The Campaign to Weaken Ekrem Imamoğlu
10:45 Erdogan’s Possible Successors
12:47 Erdogan and After: The Battle for Turkey's Future

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#Turkey #Erdoğan #Imamoğlu

[JamesKerLindsay]

The arrest of the Mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu, has sent shockwaves through Turkey. But what really lies behind it? Is President Erdogan preparing for a final power grab—or setting the stage for a carefully planned succession? And if he is planning to leave the political stage, who will take over? His son? One of his sons-in-law? Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan? Or someone else? Or will Erdogan perhaps be overthrown? As ever, I look forward to hearing your thoughts and comments below.

[JaumeSabater]

Nobody should be permitted to stay in power for so long. Power corrupts, and no human being is immune to it.

[haymatlos]

In Turkey, TV broadcasts are suddenly being stopped, and journalists are under pressure. Thank you for continuing to broadcast during these times

[Antibellathewolf-di]

As a Turkish 🇹🇷 thank you for voicing us to the world love from turkey 🇹🇷

[Rskn]

Üzüldüğüm şey şu ki, o kadar kutuplaşmışız ki nerede olursa olsun hep tartışmaya başlıyoruz. Herhangi bir videonun yorumlarına baktığımda hep bir tartışma hep bir suçlama var. Yabancı kanalların bizim hakkımızda yaptığı içeriklerde de bu oldukça fazla ve bu gerçekten ciddi bir mesele. Her şey o kadar karışmış ve bizi de o kadar ayrıştırmışlar ki millet olmayı unutmuşuz... Ne zaman düzeleceğimiz de belli değil. Umarım daha büyük kargaşalar çıkmadan her şey yoluna girer.

And, thank you for the video. It's so useful. 🙏🏼

[xyza]

"There are no hopeless people, there are hopeless situations. I have never lost hope." Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founding father of the Republic of Turkey 🇹🇷🇹🇷🇹🇷

[fatihbatal]

To those watching this from abroad — as someone raised with the values of Atatürk’s Republic, I want to say: we don’t support Erdoğan. We believe in secularism, democracy, and a future built on freedom and progress.

[johneriksson]

"You, the Turkish youth! Your primary duty is to forever protect and
defend the Turkish independence and Turkish Republic. This is the
mainstay of your existence and of your future." Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

[eliaskuru]

❤„No salvation alone, either all together or none of us“

❤„Uns reicht es nicht, allein zu entkommen. Entweder wir alle oder keiner“

❤“Kurtuluş yok tek başına, ya hep beraber ya hiçbirimiz”

[NotTodayJesusPlease]

I'm an American who was named after Mustafa Kemal. Turks dont know how lucky they were to had a leader like him.

[egeo.]

Professor, thank you for voicing this issue we're having in Türkiye, with such delicacy nonetheless.

[pufferfish]

we need a lot of type of this videos, thank you so much for supporting us and make a voice :)

[AhmettBenn]

Türk gençleri olarak diktatör rejiminden bıktık. Artık gitmesini istiyoruz.

[kevinu.k.]

Türkiye is such a wonderful country with a tremendous cultural history. I do so hope it can get past this and establish a stable democracy.
Twenty years in power is too long for anyone to be in power. For that alone Erdogan must go and Türkiye must return to democracy and not a dynasty.
Thanks for this superb and informative video.

[manomancan]

He's a multi-billionaire (thanks to skimming taxpayers' money) and over 70 years old. And he still can't let the most popular party, CHP, win. This is what addiction and fear looks like. Just leave bro. Go spend some time with your grandkids.

[isahillioglu]

Hi Mr. Kir-Lindsay! As a Turk, I'd like to thank you for telling the whole story without distorting it. In the last years, everything is so distorted in Turkey, we don't know what to believe. In the mainstream media, we always hear and see what the government want us to hear and see. Thankfully we live in the internet era (although sometimes censored), which helps us to see and understand what's going on in reality. Wish you peaceful and lovely days!

[CedarHunt]

In case anyone was still wondering: THIS is what a dictatorship looks like.

[historyking]

Erdogan might actually have made a massive mistake with this. When Erdogan was Mayor of Istanbul he was arrested and that arrest caused a massive boost in popularity resulting in his rise to power. And now he’s done the same thing to his opponent .He may have made Imamoglu more of a threat than if he had just ignored him

[ahmetoz]

Republic and democracy are Atatürk's gifts to us. We do not want to lose this gift. We do not wish to become like Iran, Afghanistan, or North Korea.

[Canguterio]

The ruling AKP has used its authoritarian rule based on religion as an instrument of social control too long and has exasperated the Turkish people