The defendant
Spoiler alert: If you do not yet know the results of Turkey’s presidential election, either read this article to catch up or stop reading this post!
“and the prosecution now calls the Turkish army to the stand!”
During our fourth Summer Institute meeting, students stepped into the roles of lawyers and witnesses to bring Turkey’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan*, to trial. The crime in question? Is he leading Turkey in the right direction. Formerly serving as Prime Minister, Erdoğan has been in power now for 11 years; however his longevity and power have been tainted with corruption charges, criminalizing descent, violently suppressing protests and imprisoning journalists.
So why would the Turkish citizenry continue electing and supporting a supposedly corrupt anti-Twitter and Islamist politician? Because Erdoğan is also an extremely savvy statesman who has improved the economy, kept his country secure in a volatile region, negotiated with Kurd separatists and raised the standard of living for a great majority of the population.
Our esteemed economists
To answer this difficult question, we analyzed then Prime Minister Erdoğan’s rule by looking at some of the most affected populations within Turkey. Specifically, we questioned economists, Islamists, members of the press, judges, the Turkish Army and members of the Kurdish minority in the south.
Again, we come back to the original question: is Erdoğan leading Turkey in the right direction? We now have five more years to figure it out.
Educators, if you would like to bring President Erdoğan to trial in your classroom, feel free to use our mock trial activity, supplementary reading packet and video from the World Affairs Council event with Mustafa Akyol. These materials were prepared before Mr. Erdoğan’s electoral victory, but most of the resources are still relevant.
By Netta Ascoli, Education Program Officer, World Affairs Council
World Affairs Council Schools Program 
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